According to a study, a one-degree increase in temperature increases the number of lightning strikes by 12 percent. It is also believed that pollution increases the frequency of strikes. Currently, strikes kill more people than rain-related disasters such as flooding.
In northern India, seven people have been killed by lightning, raising this week’s death toll to 49.
All deaths occurred in Uttar Pradesh, which is now experiencing its monsoon season.
The seven most recent fatalities were predominantly village farmers seeking refuge under trees during a downpour. According to police in the neighboring city of Kaushambi, four of the victims were related.
Thus far this season, more people have been killed by lightning than by precipitation-related incidents such as flooding.
In response to the deaths, the government developed new storm standards.
Spokesperson Shishir Singh stated, “Lightning kills more people than floods or other rain-related occurrences, even though this is the period of the year when people (usually) die from floods or other rain-related incidents.”
According to Colonel Sanjay Srivastava of the Indian Meteorological Department, about 750 people have been killed by lightning in India since April.
According to Sunita Narain, general director of the Centre for Science and Environment, global warming influences the frequency of hits.
According to some research, a one-degree increase in temperature would increase the number of strikes by 12 percent.
And J P Gupta, director of the Meteorological Department, stated that this year’s increase in pollution has led to an increase in thunderstorms and lightning.
“High ground temperature causes evaporation from water bodies, which contributes moisture to the atmosphere,” he explained.
The abundance of aerosols as a result of air pollution offers favorable circumstances for thunderstorms to produce lightning.
Since 17 May, rainfall and mudslides have killed more than 200 people in India and 42 in Bangladesh, while hundreds of thousands have been homeless.
