Lok Sabha Question No. 463 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-01
Subject: Lightning Incidents
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor, Balak Nath, S. Jagathrakshakan, Sumedhanand Saraswati, Gitaben Vajesingbhai Rathva, Ranjeetsingh Naik Nimbalkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES

## LOKSABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 463 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 1STDECEMBER, 2021

## LIGHTNING INCIDENTS

463. SHRI JASWANT SINGH BHABHOR:

SHRIMATI RATHVAGITABEN VAJESINGBHAI:

SHRI RANJEETSINGH HINDURAONAIK NIMBALKAR:

SHRI BALAK NATH:

SHRI SUMEDHANAND SARASWATI:

SHRI S. JAGATHRAKSHAKAN:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) the names of the States in which the incidents oflightning strikes have occurred in the current year and the last three years;
- (b) the number of people who died due to lightning strikes, State-wise;
- (c) the details of the assistance provided by the Government to the families of those killed by lightning strikes; and
- (d) whether there has been an increase in the incidents of lightning strikes in the country including Tribal areas of Gujarat due to deforestation and if so, the concrete steps being taken by the Government to stop illegal cutting of forests to reduce the incidents of lightening?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES

(DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a)-(b) The State-wise details of lightning strikes and the number of people who have lost their lives are provided in the Annexure-I.
- (c) Ministry of Earth Sciences, through India Meteorological Department (IMD), issues forecast and warnings for thunderstorms and associated weather phenomena five days in advance with regular updates. The assistance to the affected families is coming under the purview of the respective State Governments.
- (d) Yes Sir. As per recent studies, lightning activity have shown increasing trend over India in past two decades. North-East, East and parts of peninsular India have registered a sharp increase of lighting over the past 2 decades. The increase is minimal over Central India and moderate over rest of the country. The information pertain to the illegal cutting of forests is not available with the ministry.

|                                                                                 |                                                                                 |                                                                                 |                                                                                 | Annexure-I                                                                      |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| I I State UT-wise Number of Accidental Deaths due to Lightning during 2018-2020 | I I State UT-wise Number of Accidental Deaths due to Lightning during 2018-2020 | I I State UT-wise Number of Accidental Deaths due to Lightning during 2018-2020 | I I State UT-wise Number of Accidental Deaths due to Lightning during 2018-2020 | I I State UT-wise Number of Accidental Deaths due to Lightning during 2018-2020 |
| SNo                                                                             | State/UT                                                                        | 2018                                                                            | 2019                                                                            | 2020                                                                            |
| 1                                                                               | Andhra Pradesh                                                                  | 74                                                                              | 109                                                                             | 93                                                                              |
| 2                                                                               | Arunachal Pradesh                                                               | 0                                                                               | 0                                                                               | 0                                                                               |
| 3                                                                               | Assam                                                                           | 36                                                                              | 28                                                                              | 14                                                                              |
| 4                                                                               | Bihar                                                                           | 177                                                                             | 400                                                                             | 436                                                                             |
| 5                                                                               | Chhattisgarh                                                                    | 213                                                                             | 212                                                                             | 246                                                                             |
| 6                                                                               | Goa                                                                             | 0                                                                               | 2                                                                               | 0                                                                               |
| 7                                                                               | Gujarat                                                                         | 13                                                                              | 64                                                                              | 78                                                                              |
| 8                                                                               | Haryana                                                                         | 6                                                                               | 11                                                                              | 3                                                                               |
| 9                                                                               | Himachal Pradesh                                                                | 8                                                                               | 1                                                                               | 5                                                                               |
| 10                                                                              | Jharkhand                                                                       | 235                                                                             | 334                                                                             | 336                                                                             |
| 11                                                                              | Karnataka                                                                       | 126                                                                             | 99                                                                              | 75                                                                              |
| 12                                                                              | Kerala                                                                          | 25                                                                              | 15                                                                              | 8                                                                               |
| 13                                                                              | Madhya Pradesh                                                                  | 381                                                                             | 400                                                                             | 429                                                                             |
| 14                                                                              | Maharashtra                                                                     | 149                                                                             | 189                                                                             | 182                                                                             |
| 15                                                                              | Manipur                                                                         | 1                                                                               | 0                                                                               | 0                                                                               |
| 16                                                                              | Meghalaya                                                                       | 5                                                                               | 7                                                                               | 8                                                                               |
| 17                                                                              | Mizoram                                                                         | 1                                                                               | 1                                                                               | 0                                                                               |
| 18                                                                              | Nagaiand                                                                        | 0                                                                               | 0                                                                               | 1                                                                               |
| 19                                                                              | Odisha                                                                          | 299                                                                             | 271                                                                             | 275                                                                             |
| 20                                                                              | Puniab                                                                          | 4                                                                               | 7                                                                               | 8                                                                               |
| 21                                                                              | Raiasthan                                                                       | 43                                                                              | 88                                                                              | 48                                                                              |
| 22                                                                              | Sikkim                                                                          | 0                                                                               | 0                                                                               | 0                                                                               |
| 23                                                                              | Tamil Nadu                                                                      | 82                                                                              | 57                                                                              | 64                                                                              |
| 24                                                                              | Telangana                                                                       | 68                                                                              | 96                                                                              | 64                                                                              |
| 25                                                                              | Tripura                                                                         | 10                                                                              | 10                                                                              | 5                                                                               |
| 26                                                                              | Uttar Pradesh                                                                   | 220                                                                             | 321                                                                             | 304                                                                             |
| 27                                                                              | Uttarakhand                                                                     | 2                                                                               | 2                                                                               | 10                                                                              |
| 28                                                                              | West Bengal                                                                     | 179                                                                             | 147                                                                             | 170                                                                             |
|                                                                                 | TOTAL STATE(S)                                                                  | 2357                                                                            | 2871                                                                            | 2862                                                                            |

| 29                                                                             | A &N Islands                                                                   | 0                                                                              | 1                                                                              | 0    |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------|
| 30                                                                             | Chandigarh                                                                     | 0                                                                              | 2                                                                              | 0    |
| 31                                                                             | D&N Haveli and Daman&Diu@ +                                                    | 0                                                                              | 1                                                                              | 0    |
| 32                                                                             | Delhi UT                                                                       | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0    |
| 33                                                                             | Jammu & Kashmir @ *                                                            | 0                                                                              | 1                                                                              | 0    |
| 34                                                                             | Ladakb@                                                                        |                                                                                |                                                                                | 0    |
| 35                                                                             | Lakshadweep                                                                    | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0    |
| 36                                                                             | Puducherry                                                                     | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0    |
|                                                                                | TOTAL UT(S)                                                                    | 0                                                                              | 5                                                                              | 0    |
|                                                                                | TOTAL (ALL INDIA)                                                              | 2357                                                                           | 2876                                                                           | 2862 |
| As per data provided by stateslUTs                                             | As per data provided by stateslUTs                                             |                                                                                |                                                                                |      |
| '+' Combined data of erstwhile 0 &N HAVELI AND DAMAN & DIU UT during 2016-2019 | '+' Combined data of erstwhile 0 &N HAVELI AND DAMAN & DIU UT during 2016-2019 | '+' Combined data of erstwhile 0 &N HAVELI AND DAMAN & DIU UT during 2016-2019 | '+' Combined data of erstwhile 0 &N HAVELI AND DAMAN & DIU UT during 2016-2019 |      |
| ,*, Data of erstwhile JAMMU & during 2016-2019                                 | ,*, Data of erstwhile JAMMU & during 2016-2019                                 | KASHMIR State                                                                  | Including LADAKH                                                               |      |
| '@' Data of newly created Union territory                                      | '@' Data of newly created Union territory                                      |                                                                                |                                                                                |      |

The above data is provided by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

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