It is worrying to note that there is no sign of abatement of deaths by lightning. According to report of this newspaper on Sunday, two people were killed in separate incidents of lightning in Faridpur district on Friday.  According to statistics, during the past eight years about 1,000 people were killed in lightning. According to analysts change in global climate is mainly responsible for the increasing incidents of lightning.

It is a fact that human beings have no control over the freak of nature nor the ferocity of nature can be tamed. But by taking precautions lives can be saved. A person in the open can save himself/herself from a strike if precaution is taken. It is a commonsense that during the stormy weather one should not remain outdoors, but at villages farmers work in the crop field as a necessity and they become victims of lightning. Everybody should be cautious as to what they should do during inclement weather, but the farmers must be made more cautious as they work in the open where there are no long trees.

 Palms and other long trees which were more common in the villages in the past used to absorb lightning; but as they are hard to come by now, there is this increase of deaths by lightning. It is heartening to note that the present government has taken adequate measures to minimize lightning. Some officials of the Disaster management department have received training in Vietnam. Besides, anti-lightning machines have been brought from Vietnam. Those will be installed in different places. The problem has prompted Bangladesh's government to add lightning strikes to the country's list of official types of disasters, which includes floods, cyclones and storm surges, earthquakes, drought and riverbank erosion, among others. As a result, the government now compensates lightning strike victims or their families with sums between 7,500 and 25,000 taka ($95 to $310).   

Experts are of the opinion that the dwindling number of palm trees in the countryside may have led to the increase in number of deaths due to lightning strikes. Where palm trees exist, the number of deaths due to lightning strikes is lower than the palm tree less areas. As part of the government’s reforestation campaign, launched in 2016, a good number of palm seeds were planted in Bagerhat, Noakhali, Bhola, Patuakhali, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Laxmipur, Barguna and Jhalakathi districts. What is needed now is massive tree plantation for protecting environment where we can live relatively safe. The issue of lightning should be taken seriously.