Tag: lightning

BEWARE OF THE WATER: 17 killed by lightning in Bihar, flood-like situation in several parts of the state

Source: dnaindia.com

At least 17 people, including men and children, were killed in incidents of lightning strikes in different parts of Bihar in the last 24 hours. Four deaths were reported in Kaimur district, four in Gaya, one in Katihar, three in Motihari, one in Ara and two each in Jahanabad and Arwal.

In Kaimur, a woman and a child died due to lightning strike. In Gaya district, one person died due to lightning strike in Tankuppa block and two lost their lives in Imamganj block. In Katihar, a person identified as Bhumeshwar Yadav died due to lightning strike. Sources told Zee Media that Yadav, a resident of Sukhay village, was struck by lightning when he was working in his field. 

In Motihari, three people, including two girls, died due to lightning strike, while a young person lost his life in Ara. In Jahanabad, one person died in Jaffarganj, while one death was reported from Meerganj village in Ratni bloc.

Meanwhile, several parts of Bihar is witnessing a flood-like situation due to overflowing rivers caused by incessant rainfall. In Patna, the water level of River Ganga rose 55 cm above the danger mark at Gandhi Ghat. The capital city experienced torrential rains for five-straight hours, causing water logging in Adalat Ganj, Kankarbagh, Sri Krishna Puri, Pataliputra and Rajendra Nagar.

The Central Water Commission (CWC) on Wednesday issued a flood alert for all the districts in Bihar along the course of Ganga from Buxar to Bhagalpur and said that the situation along the course of the rivers should be monitored closely.

Jharkhand school lessons on bolt safety

Source: telegraphindia.com

ightning, which kills over 130 people in Jharkhand on an average every year, will be a part of the academic curriculum in over 2,000 government schools from the next session.

A proposal by the disaster management department to include lightning and related safety parameters in the syllabus has been accepted by the state executive committee, which, led by chief secretary D.K. Tiwari, coordinates and monitoring its many initiatives.

“The executive committee will hold a final discussion, primarily the nitty-gritty, at its meeting soon. After that the chief secretary will issue formal guidelines,” said Manish Kumar Tiwari, joint secretary, home, prisons and disaster management.

Sources said the executive committee meeting would have senior bureaucrats of various departments, including principal secretary of school education and literacy A. P. Singh, who will be a special invitee since the proposal deals with his domain.

“The meeting is scheduled to discuss threadbare details like contents of the proposed chapter on lightning and the subject under which the chapter would be included for teaching in classes 8, 9 and 10. The subject will be introduced from the 2020-21 academic session,” said an official.

The state disaster management department will also be sending directives to deputy commissioners of all 24 districts, asking them to disseminate information on lightning safety during assembly in schools.

“Deputy commissioners of Bokaro and Hazaribagh have already started talking about the dos and don’ts on lightning safety during assembly at state-owned primary, middle and high schools. We would like other districts to do the same,” said Tiwari.

The state disaster management authority, which functions under the department, is planning to launch its own GPS-based software project to prevent casualties arising out of lightning strikes.

Officials said the software, designed by Jharkhand Agency for Promotion of Information Technology (JAPIT), aims to issue alerts to people in lightning-prone areas based on inputs from Ranchi Met office.

“The software will automatically send text messages to smart phones in the area (the phones need to switch on their location service) asking users to take precautionary measures. Our motto is to curb casualties. We are planning to roll it out on Independence Day,” Tiwari said.

LIGHTNING IN BIHAR KILLS 43, RAINS TO NOW GET INTENSE IN SOUTHERN DISTRICTS LIKE GAYA AND NAWADA

Source: skymetweather.com

Intense rains have been lashing Bihar for almost the last three days. As reiterated by Skymet, the northern part of the state has been a witness to some real heavy downpour, while the remaining parts have recorded moderate amounts of rain.

If we take a look at the last 24-hour rainfall data available with Skymet from 8.30 am on Wednesday, several places in North Bihar like Supaul, Purnea, Muzaffarpur and Farbesganj have recorded 50.4 mm, 40 mm, 51.7 mm and 27 mm of rain, respectively.

The Monsoon Trough which was closer to the foothills of the state has been the vital weather system in giving heavy rains in the region. This Trough is now going to move down south due to which the intensity of rain will decrease in North Bihar and strengthen in South Bihar. Places like Gaya, Nawada, Munger and Aurangabad may observe some very good rain in the next 24 to 48 hours. However, for the remaining days of the month light to moderate rains will continue to be observed in most parts of the state.

If we look at the rainfall pattern in the month of July so far, some really good rains have helped Bihar in becoming rain surplus. The rainfall deficiency that stood at 41% by the end of June has been wiped out completely and the rainfall amount in the state is surplus today by 4%, which is only going to get better looking at the forecast of some more rain in the remaining days of the month.

Meanwhile, due to the build-up of strong Cumulonimbus clouds, strong lighting strikes have occurred causing 55 deaths in Bihar and neighbouring Jharkhand in the last 48 hours. According to reports, 43 deaths have been reported from Bihar alone.

23 dead in Bihar, Jharkhand after lightning strike

Source: indiatoday.in

At least 23 people were killed and three others injured in lightning strikes in Bihar and Jharkhand, police said on Wednesday.

Thirteen people died in Aurangabad, East Champaran and Bhagalpur districts of Bihar, while in Jharkhand, 10 people lost their lives in Jamtara, Ramgarh and Pakur districts.

The deaths in lightning strikes occurred since Tuesday night, police officials said adding that three persons were injured in Jharkhand.

Bihar is also witnessing heavy rains.

Of the seven deceased in Aurangabad district of central Bihar, four persons, including a woman, were killed on Tuesday night in Goh police station area, Station House Officer (SHO) Venkateshwar Ojha said.

Three more persons died in Rafiganj and Kasma police station areas of the district.

In East Champaran, two persons, including a 13-year-old girl, died in their sleep when lightning struck the asbestos roof of their house in Patpariya village under Mofussil police station limits, the Station House Officer (SHO) Manish Kumar said.

Two others were killed in Gobindganj and Kotwa police station areas in lightning strikes in the morning.

A couple of more persons lost their lives at Sanokhar and Amanda police station areas in Bhagalpur district on Tuesday night, police said.

Unconfirmed reports, however, claimed that over 30 people were killed in the rain-hit state.

The state disaster management department said Bihar has received an average rainfall of 28.9 mm on Wednesday, which was 221 per cent above normal.

In Jharkhand, five persons, including two minors, were killed and another suffered injuries at Kusmahapahadi block of Jamtara district, Circle Officer Chandradev Prasad said.

All of them were returning after taking a bath at a nearby pond when it started raining. They stood under a road bridge when lightning struck them.

A 60-year-old woman also lost her life at Bindapathar village in Jamtara, the circle officer said.

In Ramgarh district, two persons were killed and as many injured when lightning struck them at Chikor village. They were watching a cricket match standing under a tree when the incident happened, Patratu sub-divisional police officer Prakash Chandra Mahto said.

Two women also died in lightning strikes while working in the fields at Littipara and Hiranpur police station areas in Pakur district, police said.

7 Children Among Eight Killed After Being Struck By Lightning In Bihar

Source: ndtv.com

NAWADA, BIHAR: 

Eight people, seven of them children aged 15 years or below, were killed and eight others were injured after lightning struck them in Bihar’s Nawada on Friday afternoon, an official said.

According to Sub Divisional Officer, Sadar, Nawada, Anu Kumar, the children were residents of Dhanpur Musahari village falling under Kalichak police station area and had taken shelter under a tree while it was raining.

The people who died have been identified as Ramesh Manjhi, 26, Chhotu Manjhi, Ganesh Manjhi and Monu Manjhi (all 15 years old), Nitish Manjhi, 12, Pravesh Kumar, 10, Chhotu Manjhi, 8 and Muni Lal Manjhi, 5, Mr Kumar said.

In addition, eight others were injured and seven of them were being treated at the Sadar hospital while the condition of another was stated to be critical and he has been admitted to Pavapuri in the adjoining Nalanda district, the official said.

Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar issued a statement expressing grief over the tragedy and announcing an ex-gratia of Rs. four lakh to the family of the people who lost their lives.

He also issued instructions for proper medical assistance to those who have sustained injuries, a release issued by the Chief Ministers office said.

Former Chief Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha president Jitan Ram Manjhi issued a statement expressing grief and demanding that the ex-gratia amount be raised to Rs. 20 lakh each.

After pre-monsoon showers, parts of Pune buckle under power cuts

Source: indianexpress.com

While the recent pre-monsoon showers came as a relief after the extreme heat faced by Pune residents, the strong winds and lightning strikes have caused several problems in the city, including frequent power cuts. “With most of the software companies in our area, the power cut is turning out to be a huge problem here. The industry is totally dependent on the power supply and without it, no work can be done,” said Sanjeev Tare, who lives in Wakad. “For the last 2-3 days, we have been suffering due to this issue. The power kept coming and going intermittently,” said Tare.

The intermittent power cuts also caused problems in other areas, especially ones which rely on water tankers for their basic needs. As the tankers depend on borewells, which cannot function without electricity, their supply too was affected.

Sarla Williams, a resident of Viman Nagar, said her family was unable to sleep because of the fluctuation in power supply. “I have filed a complaint with the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) several times, but still this problem continues,” she said.

MSEDCL officials, on the other hand, said the matter was not always in their hands. “Most of the power supply cables are fitted underground to ensure safety, but there is a chance that the cables come in contact with water and thus power supply gets affected. Another reason can also be digging of roads for Metro work,” said Sachin Talewar, Chief Engineer, Pune Zone, MSEDCL.

“Usually, registered consumers are informed about issues related to the power supply through text messages,” added Talewar.

Officials have also started a WhatsApp group. “Through the use of technology, we now have an easy and quick way to reach people and we can see positive results,” said Anjali Mone, Assistant Engineer, MSEDCL.