Bangladesh must urgently strengthen community-based lightning early warning systems to protect rural populations from one of the country’s fastest-growing climate hazards, experts and government officials said on Sunday.
The call was made at the National Sharing Ceremony of a study titled “Bridging Science with Communities: Developing a Community-Based Lightning Early Warning System (CB-LiEWS) in Bangladesh”, hosted by Plan International Bangladesh in collaboration with the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).
Speakers at the event stressed the need for a more localized, inclusive and technology-driven approach to reducing lightning-related deaths, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas.
The study revealed that nearly 2,000 people were killed and more than 1,300 injured by lightning between 2009 and 2024, with the haor regions, especially Sunamganj, among the worst affected.
Most victims were farmers and fishers working outdoors during peak lightning seasons.
Md Ashraf Uddin, secretary of the Ministry of Defence, attended the event as chief guest and warned that lightning remains under-prioritized in national disaster management planning, despite claiming an estimated 300 lives each year.
“Scientific forecasting must translate into practical, community-based action that saves lives,” he said, emphasizing the need for stronger coordination among agencies to ensure timely delivery of warnings to vulnerable populations.
Chairing the session, Md Momenul Islam, director of the BMD and Bangladesh’s permanent representative to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said effective early warning depends on communication and trust at the community level.
“Science alone is not enough. Communities need accessible forecasts and clear instructions so they know how to respond,” he said.
The study’s findings highlight alarmingly low levels of preparedness at the grassroots.
More than half of surveyed households reported having experienced a lightning-related death or injury, yet 96% said they had never taken part in lightning-specific drills.
Nearly 77% were unsure about warning lead times, indicating limited access to reliable forecasts.
Researchers noted that women, young people, persons with disabilities and those with lower literacy levels face heightened risk due to gaps in information and response capacity.
Norwegian Ambassador to Bangladesh Hakon Arald Gulbrandsen, who attended as special guest, said continued international cooperation is vital to strengthening climate resilience.
“Research like this provides the evidence needed to improve early warning systems and reduce climate-related risks,” he said.
Representing development partners, Mokit Billah of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) underscored the importance of locally grounded anticipatory action.
“Effective early warning systems require sustained investment, strong institutions and a consistent focus on the most vulnerable,” he said.
A panel discussion involving meteorologists, academics, youth representatives and community organizers identified structural gaps in forecasting and risk communication.
Participants noted that lightning forecasts often offer less than one hour of lead time, while limited radar coverage and difficulties translating technical data into actionable warnings delay response on the ground.
Speakers emphasized that without accessible alert mechanisms—such as loudspeakers, sirens, radio broadcasts, school-based messaging and market announcements—warnings are unlikely to reach last-mile communities.
Outdoor workers, particularly farmers and fishers, remain highly exposed due to livelihood pressures and limited access to mobile alerts.
Although lightning was officially recognized as a natural disaster in 2016, experts said significant gaps persist in forecasting accuracy and community preparedness.
The study recommends establishing a Community-Based Lightning Early Warning System that integrates real-time scientific forecasting with local knowledge networks.
Key proposals include expanding detection infrastructure, improving warning lead times, simplifying messages, adopting a common alerting protocol, and embedding year-round preparedness drills at the community level.
Speakers agreed on one central message: as climate change intensifies lightning risk, strengthening Bangladesh’s early warning capacity is no longer optional—it is urgent.