Despite government efforts to curb lightning fatalities in Sunamganj, deaths continue to mount as protective measures remain ineffective.
Over the past decade, authorities installed 24 lightning rods across the district and implemented a palmyra palm tree plantation project. Yet, in the last five years alone, 68 people have died from lightning strikes, including five on 18 April.
The government spent millions of taka on both the lightning rods and the large-scale palmyra palm plantation initiatives, but maintenance has been neglected, rendering the measures largely ineffective.
From March to July, residents of the haor (wetland) areas experience heightened fear of lightning, especially during the boro paddy harvest in March and April, when violent storms and lightning are frequent. Farmers and fishermen are particularly vulnerable during these periods as they work in the fields and wetlands.
Palmyra palm trees were planted across the district under the Kabita and Kabikha projects, with 100,000 saplings in 2018 and an additional 2,000 in 2024. On inspection, most of these trees are either dead or missing due to lack of care. Only a few saplings remain scattered, growing no larger than a metre over the past eight years.
Local resident Samsul Islam of Jagairgaon village, Gaurarang Union, said, “When the palmyra palm saplings were planted, they were tended for a few days. Afterwards, nobody looked after them, so now they are gone.”
Another resident, Kamal Hossain from Berajali village, claimed previous administrations misused project funds, leaving no visible trees behind.
In the 2023–2024 fiscal year, a company named Creative Solar and Technology installed 18 lightning rods across six upazilas, including four in Sunamganj Sadar, three in Jamalganj, three in Tahirpur, three in Bishwambarpur, three in Dharmapasha, and two in Shalla. The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief spent Tk11 million on these installations.
Government records confirm that 68 people died from lightning strikes in the past five years: six in 2022, 29 in 2023, 11 in 2024, 15 in 2025, and seven so far in 2026. Private sources suggest the actual toll may be higher.
Haor researcher Salehin Chowdhury Shuvo criticised the palmyra palm project, calling it a vehicle for embezzlement, and recommended more lightning rods be installed instead.
Executive Engineer Mamun Hawladar of the Water Development Board said plans are underway to construct sheds in haor areas for farmers’ safety.
Sunamganj Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Minhazur Rahman confirmed that a letter has been sent to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief to investigate the disappearance of the palmyra palms, and awareness programmes for local farmers are ongoing.
