The government declared lightning as a disaster in 2016 due to the number of fatalities. The ministry and associated parties have been unable to take any meaningful action to avert this catastrophe, even after seven years have gone. The palm tree project taken by the Ministry of Relief and Disaster Management to prevent lightning strikes, the lightning detection sensor project of the Meteorological Department did not get the expected success.
The latest is being attempted by installing lightning rods, lightning arresters and canopies. However, nothing can prevent the loss of life due to lightning strikes. Those concerned say that all strategies have failed. Therefore, they feel that appropriate solutions can be found if the project is taken up with all stakeholders and experts through research.
Dr. Mahbuba Nasrin, Professor of Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies of Dhaka University and Vice-Chancellor of Open University told the Khaborer Kagoj that "Death due to lightning is increasing. Since it has been declared a disaster, we have to follow the instructions. At the same time, all possible ways should be found out through research to prevent it.
10 people died in four districts of the country on Thursday due to lightning during continuous heat wave. Among them, four in Comilla, three in Rangamati, two in Cox's Bazar and one in Khagrachari district.
According to the information of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, from 2011 to 2020, 2 thousand 164 people lost their lives in this lightning strike. Apart from this, 363 people died in 2021 and 274 people died in 2022. According to Save the Society and Thunderstorm Awareness Forum (SSTF), 340 people lost their lives due to lightning strikes between April 2022 and May 2023.
Talking to the Ministry and Directorate-affiliates, it is known that in 2017, the Directorate of Disaster Management started planting 4 million palm tree saplings across the country through two projects (Kabikha and TR). But the then state minister for disaster management Enamur Rahman announced its cancellation in 2022 as the expected success did not come. The 'Lightning Detection Sensor' project taken up by the Meteorological Department in 2018 has also lost its functionality due to lack of maintenance.
On the other hand, under the fiscal year 2021-22, the Directorate of Disaster Management installed 335 lightning rods through the same project (Kabikha and TR) in 15 lightning-prone districts. It has been found that many of them are not operational. And the coverage or radius of some is very less. The ministry has recently sent a project worth Tk 1,321 crore to the Planning Commission to install 6,793 more such bars.
Experts say, this project will not be very effective either. Because the coverage of these devices is very low. If the coverage is a few kilometers or even a few hundred meters, it will be effective in protecting against lightning strikes. Otherwise it will not benefit from it.
The truth of the matter can be found in the words of Md. Kamrul Hassan, the secretary of the Ministry of Relief and Disaster. He told the Khaborer Kagoj, "We have sent a project worth Tk 1,300 crore. I have identified 15 districts. We have sent a project to install lightning bars in these areas. However, the project has not been passed yet."
When asked how useful are pre-installed bars and it not being operational in many places, he said "The news has also reached me. The bars that have been installed are damaged in some places. I asked to fix those that were damaged. Its coverage varies. It covers maximum of 800 meters. It depends on the capacity. We want to do this through the latest technology. Because every human life is precious."
"There is more lightning from April to June." We have to be aware. Lightning can be understood before it occurs. Before the lightning started. For this you have to look towards the west. Because it will gradually come towards its position from the west. The matter should be explained to the public. It does not last more than an hour. At this time, stay at home or stay safe. Then there will be no loss of life," said meteorologist Omar Faruque.
