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‘Alarming’ rise of lightning deaths shock nation in ‘deadliest’ decade: Study
NEW DELHI: The National Crime Records Bureau shared data that drew attention to the spike of deaths due to lightning strikes in the country. The analysis described the decade from 2010- 2020 as the “deadliest decade” with an “alarming” spike.
The data showed a rise in the average annual fatalities per state and union territory from 38 during 1967-2002 to 61 in the period from 2003-2020, according to news agency PTI.
Between 1967 and 2020, lightning resulted in 101,309 fatalities across Indian states and union territories, according to the study by researchers from Fakir Mohan University in Odisha. The average number of lightning-related deaths surged from 28 in 1986 to 81 in 2016, with a particularly alarming increase observed from 2010 to 2020.
“The data show an increase in the average annual fatalities per states and UTs from 38 in the period 1967 to 2002, to 61 from 2003 to 2020. Notably, the decade from 2010 to 2020 emerges as the deadliest in terms of lightning incidents,” the authors were quoted as writing in the study published in the journal Environment, Development and Sustainability.
“This amounts to an average of 1,876 deaths annually. The long-term national annual average fatality was 46 per state and UT, ranging from 28 (in 1986) to 81 (in 2016).”
The Central Indian region has consistently reported increasing lightning fatalities since records began in 1967, making it the most vulnerable area, with northeast India also showing a sharp rise in deaths since 2001.
The surge in lightning incidents in the northeast is linked to factors such as deforestation, water body depletion, global warming, and increased outdoor activities, according to the study.
“Only seven out of 36 states and UTs have developed these plans to date. Most vulnerable states, including Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tamilnadu, as well as all northern and northeastern states, have not yet formulated a state lightning action plan as directed by the National Disaster Management Authority,” the authors wrote.
The data showed a rise in the average annual fatalities per state and union territory from 38 during 1967-2002 to 61 in the period from 2003-2020, according to news agency PTI.
Between 1967 and 2020, lightning resulted in 101,309 fatalities across Indian states and union territories, according to the study by researchers from Fakir Mohan University in Odisha. The average number of lightning-related deaths surged from 28 in 1986 to 81 in 2016, with a particularly alarming increase observed from 2010 to 2020.
“The data show an increase in the average annual fatalities per states and UTs from 38 in the period 1967 to 2002, to 61 from 2003 to 2020. Notably, the decade from 2010 to 2020 emerges as the deadliest in terms of lightning incidents,” the authors were quoted as writing in the study published in the journal Environment, Development and Sustainability.
“This amounts to an average of 1,876 deaths annually. The long-term national annual average fatality was 46 per state and UT, ranging from 28 (in 1986) to 81 (in 2016).”
The Central Indian region has consistently reported increasing lightning fatalities since records began in 1967, making it the most vulnerable area, with northeast India also showing a sharp rise in deaths since 2001.
The surge in lightning incidents in the northeast is linked to factors such as deforestation, water body depletion, global warming, and increased outdoor activities, according to the study.
“Only seven out of 36 states and UTs have developed these plans to date. Most vulnerable states, including Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tamilnadu, as well as all northern and northeastern states, have not yet formulated a state lightning action plan as directed by the National Disaster Management Authority,” the authors wrote.
