Overview
- A two‑day national workshop in Bhubaneswar, which began Thursday, is drafting a Standard Operating Procedure and a 'Lightning‑Safe Odisha: Action Plan 2027' with a 2027–2030 roadmap.
- IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra publicly urged fast integration of satellite data, numerical weather prediction and AI/ML into operational forecasting to improve lightning detection and warning lead times.
- Organisers intend technical sessions to translate those forecasting advances into local actions such as panchayat decision support, hotspot mapping, low‑cost shelters and emergency care for strike victims.
- Participants include IMD, IITM, NRSC, NCMRWF, NCESS, IIT Bhubaneswar and other research and disaster agencies that will need interoperable systems with district administrations to deliver timely alerts.
- If adopted, the SOP and roadmap could reduce deaths by turning faster, more accurate forecasts into targeted warnings and practical protections for farmers, agricultural labourers, outdoor workers and students.