Disproportionate wrath of nature
Towards the end of last month, over 100 people lost their lives on a single day across two states due to lightning strikes. Deaths due to lightning strikes are not uncommon in India. Indeed, lightning is known to kill over 2,000 people every year in India but this year the toll has been worse than usual. A few days later, another 11 people died and just this week, 26 more people died in Bihar due to similar circumstances. A majority of the victims were farmers and their families, rushing to sow their fields and capitalise on the abundant rainfall. UP and Bihar, the two affected states have both announced Rs 4 lakh as compensation for the families of the victims and the respective chief ministers have advised increased caution to those haphazardly ignoring warning signs to work on their fields or generally go outside during storms. Those caught outside were advised to seek immediate shelter and therein lies the problem.
At this point, many of us may be tempted to think that lightning, much like any act of nature, is outside our control and such deaths are an unfortunate happenstance but is that really true? For decades, scholars have pointed to a troubling but in hindsight, obvious pattern of natural disasters disproportionately affecting the poor. Lightning strikes are no exception. Before the 20th century, largely regardless of where you lived, death by lightning strikes was not uncommon across the world. In the 1800s the most common way to die due to lightning was in your own bed as lightning struck your building. The reason why it stopped happening, for the most part, is because our wiring and plumbing facilities serve to divert the shock and ground it. In short, advances in construction standards have led to a significant reduction in lightning-related deaths. In most advanced nations, lightning-related deaths are practically non-existent, even in the countryside where there are no tall structures to act as lightning rods. The death toll from lightning strikes has been largely concentrated in the last half-century in the developing parts of the world. India is one of the most prolific sufferers. Studies have shown that between 2006 and 2015, lightning strikes killed more people (on average) in India than floods and cyclones and indeed, any other extreme weather-related disasters. A significant proportion of these deaths are concentrated in rural areas where structures with proper wiring and pipes are in short supply. Many of these 'kaccha' structures are protected by no more than a thin sheet of corrugated steel. Aside from poor construction standards, other factors also apply. A lack of proper education and awareness for instance. Scientists at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology have been quoted as saying that 70 per cent of lightning-related deaths in India happen because people try to seek shelter under tall trees during storms. There is also lacking infrastructure in regards to the prediction and research with only IITM being the one full-time institute in India that studies lightning and works on prediction models and technologies. IITM has even developed an app for lightning strike
warnings and predictions called 'Damini' but it is debatable as to how many of India's rural and even urban poor will have the resources or know-how to use the app. Even more unfortunate is how farmers feel compelled to work till the very last minute during storms before taking shelter, often under a nearby tree or a structure wholly unsuited to giving them protection. There are some other factors, unavoidable to a large extent. For instance, it has been noted that a large proportion of those that die due to lightning strikes in the US are athletes and cycling enthusiasts, basically, those that stay outdoors longer than others. Conversely, in some parts of Africa, lightning strikes kill hundreds of school children every year.
As is often the case, civilisation disproportionately benefits humanity, with many of our poorest suffering under conditions that humanity as a whole insists that it has outsmarted. In the comfort of our homes in cities, we may see lightning as nothing more than a beautiful spectacle. But we ignore the dangers it holds to those not protected from its fury, the less fortunate who are left out in the storm. As is the case with all grievances of the poor and the disadvantaged, compensation holds nowhere near the same value as prevention and redressal of the root causes of the problems.
