The Yogi government will put lightning rods or arresters on top of tall buildings in Uttar Pradesh to safeguard people from lightning, which kills hundreds of people every year.
When there is bad weather, the lightning rods draw lightning from the sky and direct it underground, sparing lives and avoiding damage.
Recently, in the presence of Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra, Relief Commissioner GS Naveen Kumar discussed the advantages of lightning arresters and shared that, in 2022–2023, 301 people had died as a result of lightning in 52 districts, whereas 174 lives lost their lives as a result of lightning in 36 districts in 2023–2024 as of July.
Districts like Ghazipur are the most affected as many people died due to ligthning, he said, “In this situation, we have sought reports from the districts as to where this lightning rod can be installed. According to the proposal, lightning arresters or lightning rods can be installed on the tallest buildings”.
A metal rod put atop a building with the purpose of shielding it from lightning strikes is known as a lightning conductor or lightning rod.
If lightning strikes a building, it will strike the rod directly rather than passing through it; the rod will then channel the lightning through a wire into the ground, shielding the building from damage. This can prevent lightning from striking any place, so averting many casualties.
A significant electromagnetic field is produced when lightning strikes and this field can cause high voltages to be induced in surrounding conductive objects like electrical wires and pipelines. This high voltage has the potential to damage the building and harm everyone within or nearby.
The passage of lightning away from the structure and into the earth is made possible by a lightning arrester or lightning rod, which offers a low-resistance channel. In addition to preventing damage, it guards against electric shock for anyone around or within the building.
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