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Bihar’s first lightning sensor to be installed in GayaBy Hindustan Times

With lightning strikes assuming alarming proportions in Bihar this monsoon, causing nearly 172 deaths in different parts of the state, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, has planned installation of a lightning sensor at the Central University of South Bihar (CUSB), Gaya campus.

Two senior scientists from IITM Pune - Dr S D Pawar and Dr V Goapalakrishna - visited the CUSB on Monday to work out the modalities for the installation of sensor with meteorologist Prof Pradhan Parth Sarthi, associate professor and former head, department of environment science, CUSB.

Parth Sarthi, who is coordinator for the project, said the system would be in place by the month-end. "It will be able to pass on information about lightning 30 minutes before strike on mobile phones. In recent years, thunderstorm activities have been increased over the Gangetic plain," he said.

As per official figures, thunderbolts killed 139 people in 2018, 180 in 2017 and 107 in 2016 in the state, indicating a serious pattern. Last month, over 40 persons died due to lightning in different parts of the state within 48 hours. Chief minister Nitish Kumar has often expressed concern over growing lightning strikes in recent years.

"Such kind of lightning sensor will be the first in Bihar. The sensor will be installed at the rooftop of the university building. This lighting sensor will provide information about the occurrence of lightning with a lead of about 30 minutes in an area of around 100-200 km. Lightning strikes only when there is build-up of thunderstorm clouds, not normal clouds," Sarthi said.

Once the censor becomes operational, it will cover several districts in the surrounding areas, including Patna, Nalanda, Nawada, Jehanabad, Ara, Sasaram, Aurangabad etc.

The data recorded through sensor will be forwarded continuously, without manual intervention, to a central processor at Pune. "The recorded data will be helpful to the general public awareness, especially to the farmers, labourers and others working in an open field or space," he said.

Parth Sarthi said the data would also be used for joint research on thunderstorm, lightning and rainfall study by the M.Sc. /Ph.D. students.

Owing to the importance of early warning of lightning discharge through thunderstorm clouds, the ministry of earth sciences, government of India, has taken up a project to study and detect the location of lightning by installing the Lightning Location Network (LLN) in different locations of India.

"Under this scheme, more than 45 sensors are being installed at different locations of lightning-prone states. CUSB vice-chancellor Prof H C S Rathore has assured all necessary support for the installation of sensor as the campus had also witnessed some lightning events in the past. ," Parthi said.

Worried over the rising number of deaths due to lightning strikes, the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA) has also signed an agreement with Bengaluru-based Earth Networks to set up a lightning forecast system in the state. Earth Networks monitors and collects data on lightning strikes around the world.

Its system, once in place, will inform the BSDMA, district collectors, municipal officers and other public representatives about an impending lightning strike 30 minutes before its occurrence.