DEATH caused by lightning strikes continues to rise steadily, with 11 fatalities having been reported in the first week of May, although lightning strike has been declared a natural disaster. On April 26, lightning strikes killed 14 people, marking the highest single-day death toll so far this year. Media reports and Save the Society and Thunderstorm Awareness Forum say that at least 83 people, mostly farmers, were killed by lightning strike until May 10 this year. Meteorologists reported that 3,658 people died by lightning strike between 2015 and 2025. Most of the victims are from farming communities in the haor region and northern districts. Farmers working in open fields without lightning arresters, nearby shelters or an effective early warning system have been borne the brunt. Experts say the indiscriminate felling of trees in rural areas has aggravated the situation as the loss of gum arabic, date and palm trees, which once stood beside crop fields and naturally acted as lightning arresters, has left farmers more exposed to lightning strikes. Although the lightning season usually begins in late March or early April and continues through June and July, climate change has made lightning patterns increasingly unpredictable.
Since lightning strike was declared a natural disaster in 2016, the disaster management department and the Met Office have undertaken several initiatives to reduce casualties, including installing lightning arresters, launching a programme in 2017 to plant 40 lakh palm trees and issuing early warning alerts. In 2021–22, the disaster management department installed 335 lightning arresters in 15 vulnerable districts and planned to install 6,793 more in 2024. However, after around 38 lakh palm trees had been planted, the programme was scrapped as many saplings died because of poor maintenance and the initiative was deemed ineffective as a short-term solution. The measures have, however, had limited effectiveness because of poor maintenance, inappropriate placement of lightning arresters away from crop fields, limited public awareness and the inability of many farmers to access or respond to warnings in time. In 2025, the disaster management department proposed the construction of multipurpose shelters with lightning protection systems in vulnerable areas although concerns remain about their effectiveness without proper planning and consultation.
The government should, therefore, reconsider its piecemeal approach to the risk of lightning-related casualties and consider weighing all factors, including climate change and deforestation. The government should consider combining real-time, locally accessible early warning systems with practical safety measures such as well-placed and properly maintained lightning shelters near crop fields. It should also be supported by reviving tree-based protection and sustained public awareness so that farmers can recognise risks and avoid exposure during thunderstorms.
