NEW DELHI: At least 126 deaths due to lightning have been recorded in Central and Eastern India, mostly in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, over the past two days. The region received thunderstorms and lightning on April 10-11. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that continued extreme weather conditions, along with strong winds and hailstorms will prevail in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and eastern India for the next few days. An advisory has been issued urging the public to take precautions.
According to the State Disaster Management Authority of Bihar, at least 82 people lost their lives in the state as a result of thunderstorms and lightning between April 10 and 11. Meanwhile, officials from the Uttar Pradesh State Disaster Management reported that at least 23 people were killed across various districts, particularly near the Nepal border. Chhattisgarh report six followed by Jharkhand five and Odisha four. Nepal has also confirmed that at least eight people have died from lightning.
Central Indian states such as Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh, along with Eastern States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha, are among the most lightning-vulnerable regions. Tribals and lower strata of the society are the most vulnerable. Their housing patterns and reliance on the land contribute to their vulnerability.
However, these death could be preventable as the IMD has issued a warning for thunderstorms accompanied by rainfall and lightning across eastern and central regions of the country, including Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. In contrast, western regions like Gujarat are expected to experience heatwaves.
An IMD scientist noted that on April 9, thundercloud formations developed over Haryana, Uttarakhand, and adjacent areas, moving toward eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, bringing with them lightning.
Lightning is caused by two main factors: moisture and heat. The weather conditions over the past week have created a conducive environment to lightning incidents.
“Dry conditions resulting from extreme heat last week, combined with the influx of moisture due to a western disturbance and cyclonic circulation over Rajasthan and Punjab, have intensified thunderstorm activity accompanied by lightning,” explained Debashish Jena, a weather scientist and research scholar at G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Uttarakhand.
Col. Sanjay Srivastava, the Convener of the Lightning Resilient India Campaign and also chairman of Climate Resilience Observing System Promotion Council (CROPC), stated that casualties from lightning strikes are entirely preventable and criticized state governments for not implementing adequate measures to minimize these deaths. CROPC document lightning related casualty and damage.
“Recently, states like Odisha and Andhra Pradesh have reduced lightning-related fatalities by nearly 70% within a relatively short timeframe,” Srivastava noted.
He also explained that the IMD had issued early warnings to disaster management authorities in each district about the potential for lightning events.
“However, district magistrates, who serve as the chairpersons of the District Disaster Management Authority, seldom engage in public awareness campaigns. These campaigns are crucial for informing people about safety measures, such as avoiding open fields and not seeking shelter under trees during storms,” Srivastava added.
According to the Lightning Detection Network of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), lightning strikes in India increased by 53% between 2019 and 2023. In some states, the rise exceeds 300%. Lightning incidents include both inter-cloud (IC) and cloud-to-ground (CG) events, which have surged from 13.8 million in 2019-20 to 20 million in 2022-23. Scientists are particularly concerned about the rise in CG lightning strikes, as these incidents primarily result in damage to human lives and property.
“Our data shows that CG lightning strikes rose from 5.16 million to 7.26 million in the past three years, which is a major concern,” stated Srivastava.
Experts believe that the increase in lightning is a stark indication of climate change.
“Global warming has intensified the heat, leading to a rise in sea surface temperatures and the melting of ice in the Himalayas and other mountains worldwide, which results in increased moisture in the atmosphere,”said Dr.Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology at the India Meteorological Department.
Additionally, the region encompassing the central river basins of the Ganges, Sone, and Mahanadi, as well as the mountain ranges of Vindhyachal, Satpura, Kaimur, and Vidarbha, is particularly prone to lightning strikes, leading to significant casualties. Over the past two decades, 75% of fatalities occurred in just eight states, primarily located in these high-risk areas. Madhya Pradesh leads in casualties, followed by Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
