Jharkhand Government to Launch Integrated Portal to Curb Lightning, Drowning and Road Accident Deaths

As part of the initiative, the state Disaster Management Department has developed an integrated ‘Jharkhand Disaster Relief Management’ portal and piloted it in Dhanbad and Bokaro districts. A statewide portal will be launched after the successful completion of the pilot project, the official said.

“Of the 26 disasters in the country, Jharkhand faces human losses due to four major disasters – lightning strikes, drowning, snakebites and road accidents,” Rakesh Kumar, joint secretary at the state Disaster Management Department, told PTI.

“An integrated portal has been developed clubbing various facilities and information such as vulnerable spots, precautions and awareness to reduce losses from such disasters,” Kumar said.

Official records show that 431 people lost their lives in Jharkhand in just three months last year due to various disasters, excluding road accidents. Of these fatalities, 180 were caused by lightning strikes, while 161 people drowned and 80 died due to snakebites during the period.

Jharkhand recorded 9,438 snakebite cases from 2022 to April 2026. The state also witnessed around 100 deaths caused by lightning strikes this year. On average, around 3,000 people are killed annually in road accidents in Jharkhand, according to official records.

Kumar said drowning hotspots across various water bodies in the state have been identified and their locations are being integrated into the portal with coordinate leads.

The department has also provided specialised deep-diving training to 48 people, with two trainees from each district, for rescue operations. Training will also be provided to first and second responders.

Around 500 people, including locals, homeguards and police personnel, will be trained and deployed at vulnerable water-body locations during the rainy season to prevent drowning cases, Kumar said.

He stressed that awareness is crucial to preventing casualties from disasters such as lightning strikes and snakebites.

“We carried out disaster awareness programmes in 900 private and government schools during the previous fiscal,” Kumar said.

The portal will also include accident-prone points and black spots to help prevent road accidents and reduce losses caused by them, he added.

Kumar said the portal will also allow people to submit compensation claims, making the process easier.

Shashi Prakash Jha, mission director of the National Health Mission, Jharkhand, said all civil surgeons have been directed to strictly implement the national snakebite management protocol prescribed by the Union Ministry of Health.

The Jharkhand wing of the National Health Mission will also contribute to the Disaster Management Department’s initiative to reduce losses caused by snakebites and drowning.

Jha said awareness campaigns would focus on ensuring that people do not miss the golden hour after snakebite incidents.

The National Action Plan launched by the National Centre for Disease Control aims to reduce snakebite deaths and disabilities by 50 per cent by 2030.

Experts, however, said that of the more than 250 snake species found in Jharkhand, only 25 per cent are venomous. They added that most deaths are not caused by snake venom but by extreme fear and panic, which can lead to cardiac arrest.

The proposed statewide portal is intended to bring together information on vulnerable locations, preventive measures, emergency preparedness and compensation claims as Jharkhand seeks to reduce casualties from its four major disaster risks.