6 earthing towers installed in Lamjung to save lives from lightning

Six earthing towers have been installed at Beshisahar Municipality-3, Thumkadanda in Lamjung district to protect the people from lightning.

“With the construction of earthing towers, over 300 people of 75 households, physical infrastructures and birds and animals in the locality have been protected from potential risk of lightning strike” said Ajay Majakoti, Chairperson of the Consumer Committee.

Earthing towers were built in villages at high risk of lightning, including Bishwokarma, Maluwa, Khetaghar, Purkang, Baniya and Maurati.

Local technicians installed the towers that are 30-feet tall and have copper antennas on their top, explained Majakoti, adding that copper wires connected through the antennas were buried four feet down the land with salt and coal and connected the wire with underground copper plate.

Gumansingh Aryal, Mayor of Besisahar Municipality, shared, “The municipality provided financial assistance of Rs 200,000 to the earthing tower project in the current fiscal year.”

The locals also made in-kind contributions for the construction of such towers.

According to the Nepal Disaster Risk Reduction Portal, a total of 16 incidents of lightning were reported across the country in the past seven days.

As per the portal data, 840 people lost their lives to lightning strikes in the country since 2015 earthquake to 2019.