Is Lightning a Natural Disaster: The Central Government says No!

In the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of deaths due to lightning strikes in countries such as India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. In 2022 only, lightning strikes in India killed 907 people - the highest number of deaths recorded due to lightning in 14 years. Some states like Bihar have also lost 1500 people due to lightning strikes in the past 15 years.

Surprisingly despite lightning strikes being so prevalent, having a drastic impact and there being an early warning system for lightning strikes in India, the Central Govt isn't in support of considering lightning strikes as disasters. One of the reasons for this may be the fact that if lightning is considered a natural disaster then it gets added to the list of disasters for which people can receive compensation through the State Disaster Response Fund. The argument that has been put forward by the government to defend its stance has been that deaths due to lightning strikes can be prevented with awareness programs. It talked about how it provides warnings to people 3-5 days before a lightning strike is expected. It also highlights how most of the states in Central India, such as Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha experience more deaths due to lightning strikes as people don't follow the warnings and precautions given by the government.

I am glad that the government provides early warnings about expected lightning strikes to people, but I want people to follow these warnings. This is crucial as we have seen the devastating impacts that lightning can have on families and their livelihoods.