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Uttar Pradesh Cane department has introduced an app for helping the rural people protect themselves from lightning strike during the monsoon season.
The app, Damini: Lightning Alert Mobile App, has been developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune. It is for alerting farmers and rural people ahead of the lightning strikes.
Cane Commissioner Sanjay R Bhoosreddy has directed all regional officials of the state to motivate sugarcane farmers and department employees to download the Damini: Lightning Alert Mobile App from Google Play Store to protect themselves from lightning during monsoon.
“This mobile app is available free on Google Play Store. After registering and keeping on the location, this app displays the possibility of striking lightning at that place on the mobile well in advance. It enables users to reach safe place in time. This app also provides information to the user regarding protections from lightning,” the cane commissioner said.
He said the Cane department officers had been asked to widely publicise the guidelines issued to avoid celestial lightning losses.
“In these guidelines, sugarcane farmers are advised not to take shelter in open fields, under trees, hilly areas, rocks during celestial lightning. They have also been advised to avoid lying flat on the ground during lightning in rainy season. In this advisory, sugarcane farmers and departmental employees have also been suggested to stay away from ponds, lakes and other places which are conductor of electricity.
The farmers have also been advised to not wash metal utensils during the time of lightning and also avoid bathing,” he said.
The cane commissioner also said that during thunderstorms one should not use electrical equipment or wired equipment and stay away from waterlogged agriculture fields. If a person gets stuck in an open space during lightning and there is no hiding place nearby, in such a situation one should keep both hands on ears, bend slightly downwards and make sure that both heels of the feet touch each other, he added.
In the recent past, around 100 people in the state have been killed due to lightning, particularly in eastern parts of the state.