Bhubaneswar, December 4: Lightning strikes have claimed 92 lives in Odisha this year, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari informed the Odisha Assembly.

In addition to lightning-related fatalities, four people died due to floods, and another four in whirlwinds.

Bargarh recorded the highest number of lightning deaths with 10, followed by Koraput (8), and Keonjhar and Angul (7 each). No fatalities were reported in Boudh, Cuttack, Nuapada, Jagatsinghpur, and Kandhamal.

The government has been proactive in disseminating early warnings, particularly in cyclone-prone areas. Since March, six districts have been covered by the Early Warning Dissemination System, part of the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project. Additionally, 122 alert siren towers and Doppler radars have been set up for better disaster monitoring, said Minister Pujari

The Odisha State Disaster Management Authority has also launched a Mitigation Project for Lightning Safety, and real-time lightning alerts are being sent through the Satark app, utilizing data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.