Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya on Monday said the government is intensifying its efforts to develop early warning system to prevent death caused by lightning.
“We have considered lightning as a disaster …. We are working to take different preventive measures including early warning system to minimize lightning related deaths,” he told a workshop on “Doings in lightning” at the Hotel Abakash here.
Chairmen of Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Disaster Management and Relief Dhirendra Debnah Sumbhu, Professor Jamilur Reza Chowdhury, Director General of Directorate of Disaster Management Reaz Ahmed, Chairman of Disaster Science and Management Dr ASM Maksud Kamal and Director of Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies Prof Dr Mahbuba Nasrin, among others, addressed the workshop with Disaster Management Relief Secretary Md Shah Kamal in the chair.
Maya said the government has so far distributed Taka 18 lakh among the lightning victim families this year. “I have asked officials concerned to include those families, who are economically insolvent, under VGF programmes,” he added.
“A total of 103 people have been killed by lightning this year while the figure was 186 in 2015, 210 in 2014 and 285 in 2013,” he added.
Prof Jamilur urged scientists to find out any link between lightning and climate change. He stressed the need for launching massive awareness campaign to make people aware on lightning.
