Lightning: An Understated Disaster in India

Lightning is the deadliest natural disaster in India, claiming more lives annually than floods, cyclones, heatwaves or earthquakes. Yet, it remains one of the most underestimated and poorly understood hazards in the country’s disaster management framework. Its dispersed nature, brief duration and localised impact often prevent it from receiving sustained policy attention.

Recent findings from the Annual Lightning Report 2024–25, released at the 9th National Lightning Conference (December 2025, New Delhi), highlight a worrying rise in lightning incidents across India, closely linked to climate change, increasing atmospheric instability and rising moisture content in the atmosphere.

Why Lightning Is a Growing Threat in India

1. Climate Change and Atmospheric Electricity

In a warming climate, thunderstorms are becoming more frequent and more intense. Higher surface temperatures increase convection, while greater moisture availability enhances cloud formation and charge separation. Scientists have observed a sharp rise in atmospheric electricity, which directly contributes to increased lightning activity.

The report shows that lightning strikes in India have increased by nearly 400 per cent between 2019 and 2025, a trend that coincides with rising instances of extreme rainfall, cloudbursts and convective storms.

2. Expanding Geography of Lightning Hotspots

Contrary to earlier assumptions, the highest cloud-to-ground lightning strikes occur in eastern and central India, regions that also record the highest mortality.

New lightning hotspots are now emerging in:

• Rajasthan

• Gujarat

• Haryana

• Punjab

• Delhi

This shift marks a significant change, with desert and semi-arid regions becoming increasingly vulnerable due to changing atmospheric circulation patterns.

Additionally, geomorphological features such as:

• Rocky formations of the Western Ghats

• Limestone hills of Uttarakhand

• Kaimur–Satpura ranges in central India

have been found to attract higher levels of atmospheric electricity, increasing local lightning risk.

Human Cost: Lightning-Related Deaths in India

Between 2014 and 2025, India recorded thousands of lightning-related fatalities. The worst affected states include:

• Madhya Pradesh

• Bihar

• Himachal Pradesh

Most victims belong to rural and agrarian communities, particularly farmers, daily wage labourers and outdoor workers, who are exposed during peak thunderstorm hours.

Lightning deaths often occur:

• In open fields

• Near trees or water bodies

• During agricultural or construction activities

A “Dispersed Disaster” with Localised Impacts

Lightning is best described as a dispersed disaster—it strikes without a clear epicentre and affects wide geographical areas in small, scattered events. This makes conventional disaster response mechanisms less effective.

Unlike cyclones or floods, lightning:

• Cannot be evacuated against

• Requires micro-level preparedness

• Demands rapid dissemination of warnings and immediate behavioural response

Progress Made: Early Warning Systems

India has made notable progress in reducing lightning fatalities through early warning systems and public awareness campaigns.

Key initiatives include:

• IMD’s Damini App – Lightning alerts

• IMD’s Mausam App – Weather forecasts

• NDMA’s Sachet Platform – Multi-hazard alerts

The India Meteorological Department now uses multi-model ensemble forecasting, which estimates both the probability and intensity of lightning events. As a result, while lightning incidents have risen, fatalities have shown a declining trend.

Critical Gaps in Lightning Mitigation

Despite improvements, several challenges persist:

1. Weak Detection Infrastructure

• Limited ground-based lightning detection networks

• Inadequate coverage in hilly and mountainous regions

2. Lack of Testing Facilities

• Absence of high-voltage laboratories to test lightning protection and detection equipment

3. Insufficient Decentralisation

• State and district authorities lack technical capacity

• Minimal Gram Panchayat-level preparedness

4. Awareness–Action Gap

• Alerts often do not translate into timely action

• Warning messages may not be in local languages or lack clear instructions

Way Forward: Making India Lightning-Resilient

1. Strengthening Science and Technology

• Expand ground-based electric field measurement networks

• Invest in advanced atmospheric electricity research

• Establish national and regional high-voltage testing labs

2. District-Specific Lightning Action Plans

• Identify local hotspots and exposure patterns

• Integrate lightning risk into District Disaster Management Plans

3. Community-Centric Mitigation

• Local language alerts with clear “do’s and don’ts”

• School and farmer-focused awareness campaigns

• Village-level detection devices and safe shelters

4. Policy Recognition

• Recognise lightning as a major climate-induced disaster

• Mainstream lightning risk into climate adaptation and rural safety policies

Conclusion

Lightning in India is no longer a rare or unavoidable natural phenomenon—it is a predictable, climate-amplified and preventable disaster. While improved early warning systems have reduced fatalities, the growing intensity and geographic spread of lightning demand deeper scientific understanding, decentralised governance and community-level action.

Treating lightning as a peripheral risk will cost lives. Treating it as a central disaster management priority can save thousands.

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