'Had I known, I would not have married there'

Speaker of the National Parliament, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, has remarked that if he had known how frequent lightning strikes were in Sunamganj, he would not have married there. He made the comment during a discussion on an urgent notice under Rule 71 in the parliament session on Monday, April 27.

Speaking on the issue of lightning strikes, Kamruzzaman Kamrul, Member of Parliament for the Sunamganj-1 constituency, said, "My constituency has four upazilas surrounded by haors. Farmers and fishermen of this area have to work in haors throughout the year for agriculture and fishing."

"During summer and monsoon, many lose their lives due to sudden lightning strikes while working in the haors. Recently, 12 people lost their lives across the country, among whom four are from my constituency alone," he added.

According to NASA, the Sunamganj haor region experiences a very high density of lightning strikes — more than 25 lightning bolts per square kilometre . Although the previous government declared lightning strikes a national disaster, no visible programme has been taken in this regard, he said. He demanded the installation of shelters and lightning conductor rods in every haor.

In response, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu said Bangladesh is one of the nine disaster-prone countries in the world. In recent years, lightning strikes have taken the most devastating form, especially in the haor and northern regions. "We are planning to install sirens in those areas to raise awareness, so that farmers can take shelter when clouds gather. Additionally, research is ongoing on planting palm trees and installing lightning conductor towers," he added.

The minister also informed that the rules have been amended so that farmers can receive financial assistance even if livestock die from lightning strikes.

Following the minister's speech, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed said, "Had I known so many lightning strikes happen there, I would not have married there."

It is to be noted that the Speaker's in-laws are from Sunamganj . His wife, Dilara Hafiz, was born in Sunamganj district on January 2, 1949 . Their married life lasted 54 years. Dilara Hafiz passed away while undergoing treatment at Singapore General Hospital on March 28 .