Bureau Report/

Seven persons lost their lives at different places under Kahalgaon sub-division of Bhagalpur on yesterday due to thunders which accompanied with cyclones. With the rising of mercury such thunders and cyclones became common at eastern Bihar districts along with Kosi and Seemanchal regions which so far claimed nearly dozens lives so far this time.

Dilip (15), son of one Manoj Yadav of Tarar village under Sonhoula PS in Bhagalpur was victim among others in yesterday’s thundering. Wailing family members of the deceased were busy in  blaming the rain God for killing the boy since they hardly any idea about scientific reasons behind such type of disasters. However, many old timers in this region expressed their concerned over the rapid growth of such incidents within last few years.

Deposit of silts in river beds, formation of large numbers of waterbodies haphazardly along with large scale deforestations in the Kosi and Seemanchal regions has gifted those areas along with some parts of eastern Bihar districts with fatal items like unseasonal thundershowers, lightning and super cyclones. During the last five years loss of more than seven thousand lives in the regions mainly due to such natural calamities has reported.

Free death gifts from sky !

Experts concerned in the field of climate and geography here have held the topographic changes responsible for increasing of such incident. Not a single word come yet from the government on the destruction caused by the sudden thunder squall accompanied by gusty wind in these regions. A top ranking bureaucrat from Patna said that nobody in the state had any such apprehension earlier. But expert concerned here said that the metrological department earlier some 15 days back had warned about the possibility of such incident.

“It is not the time for blaming rather we should think deeply why such natural calamities became common phenomena at the northeastern parts of Bihar consists of Kosi and Seemanchal regions. Some parts of eastern Bihar districts too effected by it,” said Anuj Kumar, an expert on climate here. “After the Kusaha tragedy (river Kosi tragedy) in 2008, the deposit of silts in the riverbeds and also the formations of large number of waterbodies haphazardly in the entire reasons are some factors behind such natural hazards,” he added strongly.

While citing previous natural disaster from 2010 in which districts like Araria or Bhagalpur had to witnessed immense loss of property and human lives on April 2016 and yesterday’s incident at Bhagalpur, he pointed out that the deposit of silts helps additional radiation in the region. Formation of waterbodies haphazardly along with changing course or river Kosi also help to make the entire zone as low pressure belt resulting for such disasters frequently.

Echoing Kumar, Dr Akilesh, a research scholar at post graduate department of geography in Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University (TMBU) said that raising temperatures mainly due to global warming and also for presence of large number of water bodies, help to evaporate air and subsequently the formations of low pressure in the areas. Such frequent low pressures during hot days often invite such natural disasters with greater intensity. He also apprehended such phenomena could be checked unless works would be done for clear the river channels. He has strengthened the need of proper management for waterbodies in the regions.

Ranjan Kumar Choudhary, a pass out student from post graduate department of geography, TMBu said that the configurations in the atmosphere in the regions also help to build large amount of electric charged clouds, ie, the cumulonimbus clouds, causing the rising incidents of lightning and thunders. “Raising of abnormal temperatures in these areas where formation of high percentage of moisture in air is done mainly because of the presence of numbers of waterbodies in the regions, help for the formation of cumulonimbus clouds in the areas,” he pointed out.

A source from the meteorological office at Patna said that the chances of lightning and thunders could be increased in a plane land (maximum parts of eastern Bihar, Kosi and Seemanchal regions are in plane lands) which are located higher from the sea level and continuous source of water like rivers etc are available there. The source however has blamed the raising tendency of temperatures in these areas mainly due to large scale deforestations and other environmental hazards like formation of waterbodies in abnormal proportionate. Rising temperature is one of the important causes for the formation of clouds for thundering and lightning in such areas. It is worth mentioning here that apart from cyclones, lightning and thundering have become nightmare for the residents of Kosi, Seemanchal and parts of eastern Bihar districts.