Fear of lightning grips Sylhet amid rising fatalities

Shahab Uddin and his younger brother Monir Uddin were wrapping up their work in a field near their home in Habiganj’s Madhabpur Upazila. They had been preparing seedbeds for Aman paddy as the monsoon clouds loomed overhead. By late afternoon, dark clouds gathered quickly, and lightning began flashing across the sky. Soon, the drizzle turned into a downpour, accompanied by intense lightning.

The two brothers, Shahab, 25, and Monir, 22, rushed to head home to Khorka village, but they never made it. Both were struck by lightning on the way and were critically injured. They were taken to Madhabpur Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared them dead on arrival, leaving their family devastated.

Tragically, in the same storm, 55-year-old farmer Shafique Mia from Dalgaon village in Bahara Union also died after being hit by lightning while working in his field.

On Sept 21, six people were killed in a single afternoon across Jaintapur, Kanaighat, Gowainghat, and Companiganj Upazilas of Sylhet due to lightning strikes.

A week later, on Sept 29, another round of lightning during rain claimed the lives of six more people in Bishwanath and Companiganj of Sylhet, as well as Dowarabazar, Jamalganj, and Chhatak Upazilas of Sunamganj.

This sudden rise in lightning fatalities in the country's northeastern region has left poor farmers and day labourers in constant fear whenever it rains.

While the death toll continues to mount, little has been done to prevent this deadly natural disaster.

According to government statistics, lightning kills around 250 to 300 people in Bangladesh each year.

Of these, 93 percent of the deaths occur in rural areas, with 86 percent of fatalities taking place in open spaces.

Among the 15 lightning hotspots identified in the country, several districts in the northeast, including Habiganj, Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrakona, Mymensingh, and Kishoreganj, are especially prone to such incidents due to their vast, open Haor (wetland) regions, resulting in a higher death toll in these areas compared to other districts.

In 2016, the government declared lightning a 'national disaster.'

Every year, Oct 13 is observed as National Disaster Reduction Day, and this year’s theme is 'Empowering the Next Generation for a Resilient Future.'

Save the Society and Thunderstorm Awareness Forum reported that 297 people died from lightning strikes in the first eight months of this year alone.

Of these, 152 deaths occurred in agricultural fields while working on tasks like weeding, harvesting paddy, or cutting grass, accounting for 48.82 percent of total fatalities.

Other victims include 18 people who died while retrieving cattle, 52 during fishing, 27 while at home, 15 while travelling on open roads, 14 children playing in courtyards, 11 collecting mangoes, three while extracting stones, and one while inside a vehicle.

The month-wise statistics show one death in February, nine in March, 31 in April, 96 in May, 77 in June, 19 in July, 17 in August, and 47 deaths in September.

IS LIGHTNING MORE FREQUENT IN SYLHET?

According to Prof Md Anwarul Islam, head of the geography and environmental science department at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, there is some basis for the perception that lightning is more frequent in Sylhet. There is a natural correlation between rainfall and lightning, and human-induced environmental destruction is also contributing to the increase in such disasters.

He describes Sylhet’s rainfall as 'conflict rain,' where monsoon winds from the sea hit the Khasi and Jaintia hills in Meghalaya, leading to rain.

"Global warming and the warm environment at the foot of the hills create a clash with the moisture-laden air from the sea, disrupting the natural atmospheric process. This results in conflict rain, which increases the frequency of lightning," he said.

Prof Anwar also cites 'local forcing' and 'global forcing' as contributing factors to the rising incidence of lightning.

Research shows that over the past decade, land use in Sylhet has undergone significant changes.

The amount of water bodies has decreased by nearly two-thirds. In 2010, around 30 percent of land in Sylhet was used for agriculture; now, that figure has risen to 70 percent.

While this shift has helped address food shortages, it has also caused the loss of natural water reservoirs in the haor areas.

The diminishing water bodies have led to rapid temperature changes, fluctuations in humidity, and geological diversity.

Global climate change and warming are further aggravating the situation.

"Local forcing creates conditions favourable for lightning, while global forcing amplifies such events," Professor Anwar explained. "That’s why we are witnessing an increase in the frequency and intensity of lightning in Sylhet," said the professor.

OPEN SPACES ARE PRONE TO LIGHTNING

Iftikhar Khairul Amin, an associate professor in the electrical and electronic engineering department at Shahjalal University, said lightning is a common phenomenon in tropical areas and occurs due to electrical imbalances in the atmosphere.

"The atmosphere is usually non-conductive to electricity, but when the charge produced by lightning exceeds the air’s capacity to carry it, the charge seeks out a medium. This is why we see lightning striking tall trees, electrical poles, towers, high-rise buildings, and open fields," he said.

To protect against lightning damage, Prof Khairul recommended installing lightning arresters on buildings.

These devices safely direct lightning to the ground, reducing the risk of damage.

Surge protection devices also can help protect electronic appliances from lightning damage.

'NO PALMYRA TREE SURVIVED'

The Awami League government launched a project to plant Palmyra trees, commonly known as Palm trees, across lightning hotspots in the country.

Many seeds and saplings were planted in the Haor regions.

However, the project was discontinued as Palmyra trees took a long time to mature, and none survived. Consequently, the government adopted a new initiative to install lightning rods instead.

Prof Chittaranjan Talukder, vice president of Sunamganj Haor Bachao Andolan, criticised the earlier project, saying it had been useless.

“Nature isn’t what it used to be. We are destroying the environment for comfort. The state is contributing to this destruction with unplanned projects,” he said. He emphasised that the funds allocated for the Palmyra tree project were wasted, as not a single tree survived. “We need more lightning rods instead,” he said.

However, Md Abdul Kuddus Bulbul, district relief and rehabilitation officer in Sylhet, said 6,000 more Palmyra trees would be planted in Sylhet this year, and the plantation efforts were still ongoing.

Nizam Uddin, president of the Kanaighat Upazila Press Club, highlighted the need for lightning rods, saying: “Previously, there were British-era pillars in haors and fields, which have since been stolen. Those pillars might have reduced lightning fatalities. We need to install lightning rods quickly in remote areas.”

Md Shafiqul Rahman, a resident of Babrabond village in Sylhet’s Jaintapur Union, said lightning strikes are more frequent in their area due to its proximity to Meghalaya and Cherapunji.

“More people have died in the last two years,” he added.

Recently, Abdul Mannan, a farmer and battery-powered rickshaw driver from Jaintapur, was killed by lightning on his way back from his fields.

His death has left his six-member family in a desperate situation, with his teenage son, Bahar Uddin, now bearing the family’s responsibilities.

Rafsan Haque, a resident of Madina Market in Sylhet, said: “Whenever it rains, we now fear lightning. Sylhet gets more rain than other parts of the country, so our anxiety is higher.

“If there were large trees along the roadside, we wouldn’t be so scared. More people are dying from lightning strikes here now,” he added.

MINIMAL GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

The government provides Tk 20,000 for the burial of lightning strike victims, but no further assistance is offered to the victims' families.

Sylhet’s DRRO Kuddus said awareness campaigns are being conducted in the Upazilas to prevent lightning fatalities.

On Sunday, the Jaintapur Upazila administration provided financial assistance to the families of two people killed by lightning.

Upazila Executive Officer Umme Salik Rumaiya handed over Tk 20,000 cheques to Nurul Islam, father of dead Nahid, and Bahar Uddin, son of Mannan.

Disaster Management Advisor Faruk E Azam told bdnews24.com: “We are working on ensuring that people in lightning-prone areas receive warnings beforehand. We aim to reach a certain level soon.”

He also said the government has initiated awareness programmes to tackle this disaster.

[Writing in English by Arshi Fatiha Quazi]