Being hit by over 3.3 million lightning strikes every year, Bangladesh has the highest rate of death from the natural disaster in South Asia, according to a regional institution dealing with disaster forecasting.
The Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System, RIMES in short, estimates that for per 1,000 per square kilometre Bangladesh has a death rate of 1.21 from lightning strikes, followed by India with 0.86 and Nepal with 0.62.
Lightning, recognised a disaster in 2016, killed 270 people in the country this year until now. Last year, 322 deaths were recorded by the Department of Disaster Management. Since 2015, the worst year was 2020 with the highest 427 deaths recorded.
鈥榃hen thunder roars, get indoors,鈥� said Khan Md Golam Rabbani, a weather expert at the RIMES, repeating the slogan with which International Lightning Safety Day was observed on Saturday.
About 350 volunteers, forecasters, weather and disaster experts and government officials gathered at a programme organised by Scaling up Forecast-based Action and Learning, in short SUFAL II, a consortium of government and international non-governmental organisations.聽
Of the more than 3.3 million lightning flashes recorded every year in Bangladesh, 62 per cent occur between April and June with May being the most lightning-prone month, according to the RIMES.
Bangladesh鈥檚 most lightning-hit location is Jamalganj, an upazila in the north-eastern district of Sunamganj. On an average Jamalganj records 103 lightning strikes per square kilometre every year. The most frequent lightning strikes occur in Venezuela鈥檚 Lake Maracaibo that on an average receives 233 strikes per square kilometre every year.
Other lightning-prone districts in Bangladesh are Netrakona and Moulvibazar, near Sunamganj. Least lightning occurs in southern Bangladesh, particularly in Jhalokathi, Pirojpur and Patuakhali, according to the RIMES.
鈥楾he north-eastern haor region sitting on massive, rather static water bodies with the mighty Meghalaya in the background offers perfect conditions for lightning,鈥� said Muhammad Abul Kalam Mallik, a meteorologist at the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.
After analysing 13 years of lightning strike data, the RIMES has concluded that the disaster鈥檚 frequency has increased by about 10 per cent, which is on a par with the global knowledge that 1C temperature rise contributes to increasing lightning frequency by 10 per cent.
In 2024, the global average temperature exceeded by 1.5C above pre-industrial level for the first time, the RIMES said.
Lightning is a complex weather phenomenon, often striking with 30 crore volts and a current of 30,000 amperes. Early forecasting of lightning incident is difficult but specific warning is possible six to 12 hours before lightning strikes, experts at the programme said.
聽SM Quamrul Hassan, a meteorologist at the BMD, said that Bangladesh introduced experimental advanced lightning forecasting system which since April 1had been forecasting lightning strikes one to six hours before it happened.
Experts have called on the government to persuade the mobile phone operators to disseminate lightning warning as part of their corporate social responsibility role to the vulnerable communities.
Disaster management and relief secretary Mostafizur Rahman, Department of Disaster Management director general Razwanur Rahman, Cyclone Preparedness Programme director Ahmadul Haque, BMD director Momenul Islam, and RIMES Bangladesh country programme lead Raihanul Haque Khan attended the event, among others.
