Special Correspondent :
According to experts in Bangladesh, the level of frequent lightning has increased significantly due to the decline of palm and large trees in rural areas and about 2800 people died in the last 11 years due to that.
The country’s geographical location, as well as climate change, and population density have made it vulnerable to lightning strikes, and the rising number of casualties led authorities to announce the phenomenon as a natural disaster in 2016.
Farmers have to work in rain or submerged paddy fields, where they can be easily electrocuted.
However, the Ministry of Disaster and Relief has taken various steps to reduce the losses by planting huge number of trees including setting up ‘lighter arrester’.
Sources in Disaster Ministry said, they have taken a Tk 300 crore pilot project to install 1000 concrete shades with ‘lighter arrester’ in 23 districts and the haor areas to protect people and farmers from lighting.
Besides, the issue of early warning system and awareness have been given priority to reduce casuality from lightining, he further said.
According to government figures, Bangladesh, which ranks third among countries prone to lightning strikes, had seen 329 deaths due to lightning strikes as of September 2021.
In 2019, 198 people were killed in lightning strikes and 255 in 2020.
Poribesh Bachao Andolan Chairman (POBA) Abu Naser Khan on Thursday said, “Over the past 11 years between 2011 and 2021, lightning strikes have killed at least 2,800 people in Bangladesh, with a majority of the victims being farmers.”
The level of casualities incresed due to increase of uses of mobile phones, over population’s density and increasing of activities in open fields during lightining season, he added.
He further said, lightning strikes mostly occur during the pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon seasons. But this period is widening due to climate change and changing weather patterns. We are now seeing lightning strikes when they’re not supposed to happen.
The green activist urged the government to increase survilance activities to reduce the damages from lightining.
According to experts, caualities could be reduced by installing lightning antennas in open areas, and planting taller trees such as palm, date, and coconut that have been declining due to rapid deforestation.
Md. Enamur Rahman, the State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief, said that authorities have started work on a project to install warning systems and set up shelters in vulnerable areas.
