Lightning generation correlation with widespread irrigation and means of protection

Abstract

India’s lightning fatalities correlate with her spatial extent of water bodies. Evaporation from reservoirs and irrigated lands provides moisture for cloud formation. Hot and humid air flowing overland can rise over mountains where it expands under reduced pressure, cools down to promote condensation in contact with sea salt, dust particles, soot from forest fires, bacteria, etc. Agitation within the cloud leads to inter- and intra-cloud charge separation. The cloud -to-ground voltage makes the aerial path conducting and charge neutralization occurs in which the ground or subject on the ground acts as a source of upward-moving positive charge. Also, hot and humid air can rise high, cool down, and result in condensation. Further, a cold and dry air mass can meet a warm and moist air mass, resulting in the saturation of the warmer air to produce clouds. India’s plan to pirate the flood season Ganges water, implementation of the Grand River linking project, and deprivation of Pakistan of the Indus water make her more vulnerable to lightning strikes. All physical postures; standing, sitting, lying-carry risk of lightning strikes either because of being tall and/or having large inter-limb separation with a large voltage difference favoring a fatal current flow. But the prostration posture in Muslim prayer when several parts of the body touch the ground carries the least risk of lightning hit because of the shortest body height and the shortest inter-limb separation ensuring low inter-limb voltages and so low current. Prostration drill can protect one from lightning strike. Key words: Lightning, irrigation, reservoirs, evaporation, cumulonimbus clouds, river networking, the Ganges, the Indus, buoyancy, Muslim prayer posture.