With an aim to protect human lives from lightning strikes through traditional ways, Additional Chief Secretary Revenue & Disaster Management and Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahu has asked the Forest and Agriculture Departments to take up massive palm tree plantations.
He gave the instruction while holding a high-level meeting with the senior officials of both departments.
Taking to twitter, the SRC said, “Inter-departmental meeting held by SRC for undertaking disaster-resilient projects under Disaster Mitigation Fund. @ForestDeptt & @krushibibhag asked to take up massive palm tree plantations in reserve forest areas and other vulnerable districts as a lightning mitigation measure.”
The SRC’s directive came in the wake of the death of at least 12 people on September 2 due to lightning strikes. As many as 281 lightning deaths were reported in 2021-22, most of them from rural areas.
Stating that environmentalists and weather experts have opined that rampant felling of palm trees has prevented protection against lightning, the meeting resolved for large-scale plantation of palm trees in rural areas.
Most of the lightning deaths and injuries occur when people are caught outdoors during the afternoon and evening. The victims are agriculture workers or day-labourers and the lone bread earners of their families.
According to experts, palm tree plantation was a traditional practice in villages, but it has now been discontinued due to urbanisation and development.
Lightning usually hits the tallest object first. The palm tree being the tallest among other trees in its surroundings works as a lightning conductor, decreasing deaths from the thunderbolt, said local weather experts.
Palm trees have a wide range of uses: its fruits are eaten, juice and jaggery are made from it, stems are used as valuable wood and leaves are used for thatching and making baskets, mats etc.
The deaths from lightning strikes are now much higher than that of cyclones, floods and other disasters in the country.
He said plantation of palm trees can reduce the casualties but early warning systems, awareness, shelter places and specific lightning censors can play a big role in this regard.
In 2018, the Forest Department had sent advisories to all Regional Chief Conservators of Forests and Divisional Forest Officers to encourage palm tree plantation along State and National Highways, along the boundaries of villages, reserve forests and farms. The initiative, however, did not fetch the desired results, said former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Bijay Ketan Patnaik.
In 2015, the State Government had announced lightning as a State-specific disaster and provides Rs 4 lakh as ex-gratia to a family losing its members in lightning strikes.
The State has requested the Central Government to declare lightning as a national disaster so that the deceased will be able to get an increased ex-gratia amount as per the provisions of natural disasters, said Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Pramila Mallik.
