Odisha govt set to launch Satark app to tame the bolts from the blue

Odisha hopes to save lives and protect people from lightning injuries using a new app

A crack of lightning can illuminate the sky for an instant, but it often has a deadly impact here on earth. In Odisha, for example, lightning claims about 400 lives every year — more than that by any other natural calamity. To tackle the effect of these bolts from the blue, the government of Odisha is all set to introduce a mobile app called Satark (caution) that will not only provide early warning of lightning to users, but also send out alerts to anyone whose presence is detected through their mobile signal in an area which is at risk from an impending lightning strike.

 
Of course, Odisha is not the first state to introduce such an app. Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have already implemented the Sidulu and the Vajrapaat mobile apps to provide early warning of lightning. However, in the case of Odisha, its adoption is critical because as a littoral state, it is particularly vulnerable to meteorological hazards such as tropical cyclones, heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and so on — all of which can bring on fatal lightning events.
 
While concerted efforts on many fronts have minimised the loss of lives due to most natural disasters, death by lightning remains a severe hazard. According to reports, between 2015-16 and 2017-18, 1256 people lost their lives to lightning strikes, which is about 27 per cent of the total deaths due to natural disasters.

 

“We have been able to contain human casualty in cyclones and floods because of the adoption of technology and early warning systems. But until recently, there was no system to provide early warning of lightning,” says an official of the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA).
 
Now OSDMA has roped in US-based Earth Networks to set up a series of outdoor lightning prediction and warning systems in the state. While six lightning detection sensors have already been installed, 14 lightning alert systems are being set up at different locations in the state. One of them has been installed on a pilot basis at Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University in Bhubaneswar.

 
The Earth Networks Lightning Sensor (ENLS) uses advanced electronic sensors within one compact unit which is mounted on top of the buildings or telecom towers. With a detection range of 200 to 400 km, it captures location-based lightning signatures 30 to 45 minutes before the lightning occurs.
 
“The system consists of advanced electronic sensors that detect cloud-to-ground and in-cloud lightning strikes, and meteorological sensors for temperature, wind, humidity, atmospheric pressure and rainfall,” says Sarat Chandra Sahu, director at the Centre for Environment and Climate (CEC), Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University.
 
While lightning detection systems have been adopted by some states and countries, the one in Odisha is unique as it not only detects the possibility of lightning in advance, but also uses multiple technology platforms to alert people residing in danger zones. Designed by the Thailand-based Regional Integrated Multi-hazard Early Warning System (RIMES), the information dissemination system sends automated alerts through emails, bulk SMSes, WhatsApp and the soon-to-be-launched Satark mobile app.

 
As for the ENLS system, it works like this: In a developing storm, it evaluates the changes in the electromagnetic field and electrical energy within the atmosphere. The sensors calculate the vertical cloud formation (key for precipitation of lightning), and based on the intensity of the cloud, its constituents and cloud height, the information is put through a web-based system called Sferic Map. (A Sferic Map is a next generation system for advanced weather alerting, visualisation, and decision support platform which displays the hotspot for lightning.)
 
When the system picks up the potential for a lightning strike within a radius of 10 miles, a 15-second warning siren goes off. The strobe light on top of the unit also switches on.

 
“The strobe light stays on as long as there is a danger of a potential strike. So people outside must seek shelter immediately,” says Sahu. When the system no longer detects a threat, there are three five-second blasts from the siren and the strobe light also switches off.
 
Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University has facilitated the installation of lightning detectors at 11 lightning-prone regions in Odisha. Set up in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, and Earth Networks, these have been placed in Rayagada, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Balasore, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Jeypore, Berhampur, Keonjhar, among others.