By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, August 18, 2024: Concerned by the growing number of deaths due to lightning, the Odisha government has already initiated to plant at least 20 lakh palm trees to help reduce the damage caused by lightning strikes.

“To tackle this situation, we have initiated a mission to plant palm trees across the state, as they act as good conductors. We have already started the mission to plant around 20 lakh palm trees, with the effort led by the forest department,” Suresh Pujari, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister adding that the mission to plant around 20 lakh palm trees had already commenced.

Odisha has one of the highest death rates due to lightning strikes in India. According to reports, at least 300 lives have been lost in Odisha due to lightning. The decline in palm trees has been linked to the rise in lightning strikes across the state. The forest and agriculture departments will collaborate to plant these trees in various regions.

The most exposed are the schools. “We are concerned about schools where earthing has not been properly installed, as this has led to the loss of lives due to lightning strikes. Our primary focus is on vulnerable areas with higher incidences of lightning as we target to plant around 20 lakh palm trees this year. Our ultimate goal is to achieve zero casualties in Odisha due to lightning strikes,” the minister said adding that the ultimate goal was to achieve zero casualties in Odisha due to lightning strikes.