Due to the rising number of deaths from lightning strikes, the Uttar Pradesh government is setting up an early lightning detection and warning system. This system aims to reduce the number of lightning-related casualties, especially during the monsoon season.
The state’s relief department reported that 84 people have died from lightning strikes in Uttar Pradesh this month alone. Out of these, 43 people died within a 24-hour period from 6:30 pm on July 10. This number is higher than the 41 deaths reported during last year’s monsoon season, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Dr. Manish Ranalkar, Director of the Meteorological Department in Lucknow, explained the need for this system: “Because of the high number of lightning deaths in Uttar Pradesh, we have been working on setting up a lightning detection system. Following the chief minister’s orders to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), we decided to use a state-of-the-art system based on Time of Arrival (ToA) technology. This technology is more accurate in terms of time and location.”
The ToA-based system is expected to give real-time warnings about possible lightning strikes at least 30 minutes in advance. This is a big improvement over the current radar and satellite systems used by the IMD, which do not provide real-time alerts. Setting up this system will cost about ₹300 crore.
Uttar Pradesh Relief Commissioner Naveen Kumar said that the Uttar Pradesh Lightning Alert Management System will be introduced in three phases. The first phase will cover 37 districts and is expected to be ready by the end of this year. The second and third phases will cover 20 and 18 districts, respectively.
“The process of setting up the Uttar Pradesh Lightning Alert Management System has started, and the first phase should be ready by the end of this year,” Dr. Ranalkar added.
The state government hopes this new system will help save lives by providing early warnings about lightning strikes. Uttar Pradesh has one of the highest numbers of lightning deaths in India, so this new system is a crucial step towards improving public safety during the monsoon season.