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Published: 06 May 2018

Why deaths from lightning increasing

M S Siddiqui

Statistics say lightning strikes the earth more than 100 times each second and 8 million times per
day causing death of human beings. Statistics also say that approximately 50,000 thunderstorms
occur per day that may result in casualties of human and animal lives, forest fires and damage to
other properties.

About 90 percent of the lightning strikes from cloud to cloud. From 10-30 percent of lightning can be
cloud to ground, depending on the storm. Death due to lightning strikes is common in Bangladesh
during this time of the year, as the weather changes from the dry season to the rainy summer
season.

But the country is experiencing a surge in deaths from lightning strikes in recent years. According to
experts' opinion, deforestation, agricultural and labor-intensive economy, poor infrastructure and
climate variability are playing a pregnant role in higher rates of lightning-related deaths and injuries
here in Bangladesh and many other countries.

In South Asia, casualties have increased in recent years. However, apart from climate change, the
recent increase in the rate of casualties from lightning can be attributed to the silent disappearance
of Mouja Border pillars installed by British rulers in South Asia. These pillars had dual purpose of
demarcation of administrative area and absolve spark of thunder.

The Internet has some interesting offer from Kolkata -- India to buy Magnetic pillars from Bangladesh
against cash payment. One of those invitations from one Arindam having phone number
<9339031373> and e-mail address: . The condition of purchase is delivery must be done at Kolkata
and cash payment will be completed after verification of genuineness of pillars.

The sellers in Bangladesh also invite buyers through internet. A Sales advertisement as available in
the internet "We are the owner of six high powerful Rice Puller British pillar (three district
demarcation line pillar, with part) as available for genuine overseas 'Direct Buyers'.

The advertisement continued -Please note that, we are not interested to pay any visit fees and not
demanding any test fees. Bangladeshi country representatives (of buyers) also may query for further
verbal discussion to get this items."The pillars are genuine '1818 East India Company Pillar' having
specifications.

The reason of such smuggling of Mouja pillars to India and then to in other part of the world is that
these pillars contain a rare metal namely Iridium.

Iridium is available in different planets and meteors but available in the universe is only two parts per
billion. Iridium is a chemical element with symbol Ir and atomic number 77. Iridium is extremely rare
on the Earth's surface, occurring mainly as a small percentage impurity in platinum.

It's believed that most of the iridium on Earth is bound up with iron in the planet's core, but
occasionally small amounts are brought up through the crust by geologic activity. Iridium is one of
the rarest elements in Earth's crust, with annual production and consumption of only three tones.

The demand for iridium surged from 2.5 tons in 2009 to 10.4 tons in 2010, mostly because of
electronics-related applications that saw a rise from 0.2 to 6 tons - iridium crucibles are commonly
used for growing large high-quality single crystals, demand for which has increased sharply.

This increase in iridium consumption is predicted to saturate due to accumulating stocks of crucibles,
as happened earlier in the 2000s. Other major applications include spark plugs that consumed 0.78
tons of iridium in 2007, electrodes for the chloralkali process (1.1 t in 2007) and chemical catalysts
(0.75 t in 2007).

It is use to make radioactive metal, a rare earth metal bright radioactive component, space metal
used as fuel for Space-ship/Satellite Power, Hybrid Car nuclear RandD. NASA uses small quantities
of iridium as a catalyst in hydrazine attitude jets for its satellites, and it is useful to make containers
for radioactive isotope thermal generators.

Iridium tri-chloride as a catalyst used in propellers engines of rockets as a hydrazine. Iridium isotope
IR192 is used in cancer treatments. Iridium salts give strong colors and it can be used to convert sun
light in to chemical energy like photosynthesis.

According to BS Materials Science and Engineering and Metallurgy, Purdue University (1969) that
there are no known producers or commercial alloys of copper -iridium and there are no buyers of
copper - iridium for any commercial purpose.

But previously, there are buyers and sellers of coins claimed to be copper - iridium with a mint date
of 1616 that are reported to have magical qualities. Most of these buyers and sellers are in India and
pay high sums for a coin that was minted nearly 200 years before anyone knew that Iridium existed.
The actual target is the valuable metal iridium. When the coins with iridium do not exist in anywhere
then the attention goes to area demarcation pillars in the region.

British Government Posted Mouza (small boundary of lands, square kilometers of land) pillars are
now formatted as high precious metal component. This is based on a belief that some antique metal
wares with traces of iridium, especially those finished in copper, develop this property in time.
Assumed that inside of the pillar, the earthening copper material converted as iridium copper, for the
cause of electric spark (terra watt volt?/highest voltage) of any thunder and converted to Iridium
metal.

There are some study reports which claim that metal wares with traces of iridium develop rice pulling
power when hit by lightning. There are also some studies which show that the East India Company
had minted coins and made other metal ware with traces of iridium in 1616 with the advice of some
Indian sages to keep the inauspicious effects of a solar eclipse that year at bay.

During this period of British rule, border poles were kept in the ground by measuring the distance
between one and the other according to frequencies. Among them, metal magnets with brass,
copper, iron, titanium. Because of the combination, electric char was produced during the
thunderstorm; it absorbed the pillars directly and did the work of earthening. Until the recent past
years, the death of thunderstorm was very low.
Rice pulling is a phenomenon where it some ancient objects such as old/ancient copper items coins,
idols etc have the ability to pull rice like magnet pulls iron. Rice Pulling (radiant Iridium power) in
simple terms is any item which attracts (or pulls) rice (like a magnet attracts iron particles) is called a
Rice Puller.

The 1839 Iridium copper coin from an East India company that is capable of pulling rice
approximately four inches. Some part of pillars in South Asia believe to got such rice pulling ability
with the conversion to precious Iridium metal.

It is understood that the buyers have attraction of pillars from Bangladesh due to corrupt
administration and lack of patriotism. They are easily bought from Bangladesh than any part of India.
There are some actions against such sale of valuable assets of the county.

A media report said Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on certain night recovered a 188-year-old
precious, metaled border pillar from a house of Sajapur village of Shajahanpur upazila of the Bogra
district. RAB sources said 'Great Britain, East India Company, FCC 500, G.3.B.6.N.8, 1818' are
inscribed on the pillar, weighing 20 kg with a height of 2.5 feet.

The development of rare Iridium in Bangladesh has now become reason of death although it could
be a source of income for the nation. Some unscrupulous and non-patriotic people are selling the
metal throughway prices. The climate change has increases the frequency of lightning strike but we
have lost the prevention of death from boundary pillars.

There may be a scientific study to identify the link between uprooting the pillars and gradual increase
of death from thunderstorm. We should find way how to protect from such natural cum man-made
disaster. The authority should take immediate steps to save the existing pillars and also study how to
re-install such pillars, if feasible now.

The writer is a legal economist.

Email: mssiddiqui2035@gmail.com