Climate experts in India say that the number of lightning incidents in the country have increased by 34 % since last year
RH Staff September 24
Rain-related incidents including lightning rains have killed at least 39 people in various parts of the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh over the last five days.
With officials warning of more heavy rains in the coming days, the local government of India’s largest state has issued fresh guidelines telling people how to protect themselves during a thunderstorm.
India is in the midst of a rain-rich monsoon season which spans from June to early October. Floods, thunderstorms, and other weather-related calamities are common during the season which often affect the country’s poor.
Yogi Adityanath, the topmost elected administrator in the state, has announced a Rs 4 lakh ($4923) compensation to the kin of the victims of the disaster.
“In the last 24-48 hours, 26 people have died in rain/lightning-related incidents across the state,” Uttar Pradesh relief commissioner Prabhu N Singh was quoted by the Turkish Anadolu Agency as saying.
Climate experts in India say that the number of lightning incidents in the country has increased by 34 % since last year.
According to the Lightning Resilient India Campaign, a joint government and non-government collective working to reduce the number of fatalities due to lightning, the increase in the number of lightning incidents is linked to climate change triggered by deforestation, pollution, and other non-environment-friendly human interventions.
