India Meteorological Department (IMD) and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) experts in their report say - Thunderstorms, associated by lightning, cause over 2,000 deaths every year in India.

The statement revealed by NMDA member Rajendra Singh reads:-  “In India, over the recent years, there's an increasing trend in death toll and damages reported due to lightning. Lightning and thunderstorms cause widespread loss every year, despite the improved understanding, monitoring, and prediction capability brought about by scientific and technological progress.”

Also, they add, - “Lightning has become a serious threat in recent years. This is due to, primarily increased exposure of people, especially farmers, fishermen and labourers who remain outside for reasons of livelihood.” The reason for this has been identified by experts as a communication gap that does not result in last-mile connectivity.

In order to address this issue, the Indian Meteorological Society (IMS) along with the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) organized the workshop-cum-awareness session on the lightning forecast and warning dissemination, for media and state-level disaster managers from Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country.

 “Loss of human lives and properties due to lightning is significantly high - it is more than that of people killed in tornadoes or hurricanes globally,” said Singh.

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