Odisha resorts to palm tree planting to combat lightning deaths this year

Sub: Geography

Sec: Climatology

Odisha’s Palm Tree Initiative:

Odisha plans to plant 1.9 million palm trees and restrict the cutting of existing ones to reduce lightning casualties.
Palm trees act as natural conductors during lightning strikes, preventing loss of lives.
The decision to plant and protect palm trees was made in September 2023.
Odisha is one of India’s worst-affected states by lightning strikes during the pre-monsoon and monsoon periods.

Implementation and Financial Details:

Special Relief Commissioner Satyabrata Sahu urged large-scale palm tree plantations in reserve forests and vulnerable districts.
The department will plant around 1.9 million palm trees across the state in 2024-25, spending around Rs 7 crore.
Initial restrictions on felling palm trees were withdrawn due to public demands, leading to their near extinction in rural areas.

Impact and Statistics:

On average, 300 people die annually in Odisha due to lightning, with 2,058 deaths from 2018-19 to 2022-23.
Lightning strikes claim nearly 2,500 human lives annually in India.
Most victims are farmers, cattle herders, fishers, forest dwellers, and labourers working outdoors.
Lightning was declared a state-specific disaster in Odisha in 2015, with the government providing Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia to families of the deceased.

Source: DTE