To minimise deaths due to lightning in the state, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to establish a lighting detection sensor network in the state along with installing a large number of early warning systems, the Chief Minister’s office said in a statement.
Under this initiative, 50 new Lighting Detection Sensors will be installed across the state, in addition to 5,000 early warning systems to send real-time lightning alerts to the public.
Additionally, the state government is also conducting awareness and training programs for lightning resilience. Relief Commissioner GS Navin Kumar informed that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had given necessary guidelines to minimise casualties due to lightning in the state at a high-level meeting held recently.
In line with his directive, a survey was conducted and the need for establishing a network of 50 new lightning detection sensors across the state and installing early warning systems in sensitive areas was felt.
The proposal to carry out the exercise was presented to the Chief Minister, who approved it. As part of the decision, the establishment of the lightning detection sensor network will be carried out in three phases across the state.
In the first phase, 37 districts will be covered, followed by 20 districts in the second phase, and 19 districts in the third phase. The network will be set up with technical support from the Meteorological Department.
It is noteworthy that a survey was conducted to minimise casualties from lightning, revealing that the number of lightning detection sensors installed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and the Meteorological Department for accurate prediction is insufficient. Therefore, a pilot project has been implemented in the Dudhi block of Sonbhadra, the most affected by lightning, where an early warning system has been installed. It was found that to achieve accurate prediction of lightning strikes throughout the state, it is essential to establish a lightning detection sensor network and an early warning system.
The survey has identified 5,000 sensitive locations across all 75 districts of the state where the installation of early warning systems, including alerts for lightning and other disasters, is deemed necessary. Consequently, the decision has been made to install early warning systems at all 5,000 identified sensitive locations in the state.
In collaboration with the Relief Commissioner’s office and the Meteorological Department, based on the survey, a web-based integrated early warning system has been prepared.
Through this system, alert calls are sent one hour before lightning strikes to 2.15 crore gross route workers and community members, resulting in a significant reduction in casualties.
On the instructions of CM Yogi, the Uttar Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority is implementing the “Lightning Safety Awareness Programme” to reduce casualties caused by natural disasters in the state.
This programme is being implemented in the highly affected and sensitive districts of Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Prayagraj, and Lalitpur. Block-level workshops are being organised in all 51 development blocks of these districts and village-level workshops are being organised in all the panchayats.
Awareness programmes on lightning safety are also being conducted in all Gram Panchayats in these districts through the medium of microphones.
As a result, there has been a significant reduction in lightning-related casualties in the state with Lalitpur recording a 25 per cent drop in deaths, Prayagraj 52 per cent, and Sonbhadra recording a 30 per cent drop as of 2023-24, compared to 2021-22.