KARACHI: The government should explore cleaner alternative energy options for production as the greenhouse gas emissions from the coal mining and power plants contribute to localize warming and increased atmospheric humidity, experts said.
In recent years, Pakistan has experienced severe weather anomalies, including intense heat, torrential rains, and melting of glaciers, among others. The country has been struck by a series of disasters, such as glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), forest fires, riverine and flash floods, hill torrents, winters with barely any snow, and heat waves.
Among the list is yet another anomaly which has, largely, escaped the attention of climate experts, which a significant rise in thunderstorms and lightning strikes in the district of Tharparkar in Sindh, especially in areas where coal mining is happening and where coal-fired power plants are generating electricity, experts stated at the launch of a study “Exploring the link between lightning strikes and coal: a case study of Tharparkar” by Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development (PRIED) at local hotel.
The study noted that the incidents of lightning strikes have increased exponentially over the years in Tharparkar district of Sindh, wrecking havoc with the lives and livelihoods of local communities. Several dozen people and many more cattle have died in these strikes, and many houses and crops over large areas have been destroyed.
It called for carrying out the assessment of anthropogenic factors such as GHG emissions, particulate matter, dust, ash, and humidity correlate with increased lightning incidents.
Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Umrani, Director ORIC and Sustainability Office Ziauddin University Karachi said that studies in USA and India showed that lightning strikes incidents occur in the coal mining areas and called for promoting the clean energy in the country. He also suggested that country can produce energy from waste, which is available in abundance in the major cities of the country.
Official from Provincial Disaster Management Authority said that his department is cognizance of the lightning strikes and revealed that provincial government is working on a comprehensive response plan to deal the calamities including lightning strikes.
Dr. Sardar Sarfaraz from Met Office Sindh said that department has can say exactly about the relations between coal mining and lightning strikes as the it has not sufficient data so far. CEP PRIED Badar Alam talked about the interviews of Tharparkar’s residents who have been direct victims of lightning strikes, data from many villages which have been hit by lightning in recent years and desk research comprising interviews with experts and scientific analysis.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025