The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notice to the central and Bihar governments after taking suo motu cognizance of a report that linked frequent deaths due to lightning in Bihar with the felling of Asian palmyra palm trees (Borassus flabellifer). The court has asked both governments to file a reply on the matter.
A tribunal bench, comprising Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel, took cognizance of the report on June 5, 2025.
The newspaper article, published on May 29, 2025, raised questions as to whether Bihar’s disappearing palm trees were the reason behind increasing deaths due to lightning in the state.
More than 2,000 people have died in lightning strikes in Bihar since 2016, the article noted.
This figure reached 2,446 by April 2025, according to the Economic Survey and Bihar’s state disaster management department.
Some 2,937 people lost their lives between 2014 and 2024, according to the Lightning Report 2023-24. Districts like Gaya, Aurangabad, Rohtas, Patna, Nalanda, Kaimur, Bhojpur and Buxar were the most affected during this period.
Most lightning accidents occurred between 12:30 and 4:30 pm, according to the newspaper piece. That is when rural people usually work in the fields or in the open. In many cases, these incidents occurred in areas where palm trees were once commonly found but have now seen a sharp decline in numbers.
The Asian palmyra palm, also known as the toddy palm, lost its economic value after the practice of toddy tapping was banned in Bihar. This had a direct impact on the Pasi community, who have been toddy tappers for generations. Community members said the cultivation of palm trees has decreased by about 40 per cent in the last few years and the traditional practice of planting new trees has also almost ended. The report indicated that palm trees help in safely transmitting electricity to the ground and their felling has made lightning incidents more deadly.
The NGT held that the case was triable under the Environment Protection Act, 1986. The court has made Bihar State Pollution Control Board, Environment Ministry (Ranchi), Bihar Disaster Management Department and Central Pollution Control Board parties in this case and has asked all of them to file reply on this issue.
The bench said that, since the matter pertains to eastern India, it would be transferred to the Eastern Zone Bench in Kolkata.
The next hearing of the case will be held on August 7, 2025, in Kolkata.