Mitigating Lightning's Fatal Impact: A National Initiative

Over 1,600 lives were lost due to rain and lightning between April and July, a parliamentary report revealed. The 'Mitigation Project on Lightning Safety' aims to reduce such fatalities across 50 lightning-prone districts in India. A network and technologies have been developed to forecast and warn citizens of severe weather events.

A recent parliamentary report highlighted a tragic toll of over 1,600 lives lost to rain and lightning strikes between April and July this year. Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, provided these figures in a written response to the Rajya Sabha.

In light of these fatalities, the Indian government has launched the 'Mitigation Project on Lightning Safety.' The project, with a financial outlay of Rs 186.78 crore, targets 50 lightning-prone districts across ten states with the goal of reducing human and livestock mortality and infrastructure damage due to lightning.

Technological advancements play a crucial role in this initiative. The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology has established a lightning location network, while the DAMINI mobile app provides real-time strike alerts. The India Meteorological Department further enhances warnings with a comprehensive monitoring and forecasting system.

(With inputs from agencies.)