India’s Odisha to install lightning forecast system

Authorities in the eastern Indian state of Odisha have decided to install lightning sensors so that people can be warned about possible lightning strike, an official said today.

The lightning sensors would be installed in high-rise buildings and multipurpose shelters, he said.

Odisha's Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) BP Sethi said lightning strikes have claimed at least 18 lives in the state in the last three days.

On an average, 419 people have been killed in lightning strikes in the state each year in the last three years, the official said, adding, it has become a cause for concern for Odisha government.

Scores of people are killed in lightning strikes, mostly in villages, across India in the run up to and during monsoon every year.

"We can get information about lightning 45 minutes prior to lightning strike. The state government will make arrangements to send the information to the people through mass media," Sethi said.

The state will sign a MoU with a US-based lightning analysing system company this week, he said.

The company, called Earth Networks, will install the lightning sensors at various places across the state, Sethi said.