Nipuni WIMALAPALA
Lightning claimed 51 lives last year which is a large figure, said the Director General of Meteorology Department, G.B. Samarasinghe. He was addressing a press briefing at the Met. Department yesterday. He advised public to take necessary safety measures to minimize lightning accidents which can increase in the middle of March and during April.
"Due to heavy rainfall people are quite vulnerable to lightning accidents during these two months. They are therefore requested to avoid being in open spaces. Continuous weather changes also leads to lightning. If the sky looks darker and there is a cold breeze lightening could be definitely expected", he further said.
According to him, the most risky areas are inland areas, such as Sabaragamuwa, Kurunegala etc. Lightning has become a major hazard in the country because people do not follow the given advices.
The public are therefore requested to be aware of the risk of lightning and take the necessary precautions. Especially, electronic devices should be unplugged and electronic systems shut down during rainfall.
"A committee has been appointed to initiate the establishment of a National Centre which will devise ways to minimize lightening damage. The committee is formed by the Disaster Management Ministry together with the Meteorology Department. Once the centre is established, it will undertake all the necessary effort related to lightning issue. It will certify the standards of the safety systems and issue license, do researches and establish necessary safety systems", the Director General said.
http://www.dailynews.lk/2012/03/23/news41.asp
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