Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding large scale felling of toddy yielding palm trees in Bihar, 05/06/2025
Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of In Re: News Item titled "Are missing palm trees causing more lighting deaths in Bihar appearing in ‘The Times of India’ dated 29.05.2025". The original application was registered suo-motu based on the news item titled "Are missing palm trees causing more lighting deaths in Bihar” appearing in ‘ The Times of India’ dated 29.05.2025.
The news item relates to the large-scale felling of toddy-yielding palm trees, which is stated to have contributed to a rise in lightning-related deaths, with over 2,000 lives lost since 2016 in Bihar. According to the article, the widespread cutting of palm trees is directly linked to a sharp increase in lightning-related fatalities. It highlights that dozens of towering palm trees are being felled, leading to more frequent lightning strikes that result in deaths. The article notes that after the ban on toddy tapping due to Bihar's prohibition policy, palm trees lost their economic value and have since been widely cut down.
This ecological loss appears to have made rural areas more vulnerable to lightning strikes, with the State recording over 2,000 lightning-related deaths since 2019. Districts with the highest number of fatalities- such as Gaya, Aurangabad, and Rohtas-are also those where palm trees have been most depleted.
The news item mentioned that according to the Bihar Economic Survey and the Disaster Management Department, lightning strikes claimed 2,446 lives between 2016 and April 2025, with rural population being the worst affected. The article states that the number of lightning deaths began to rise following the rampant felling of palm trees. Furthermore, the Annual Lightning Report 2023-2024 states that lightning strikes claimed as many as 2,937 lives in Bihar between 2014 and 2024. The worst- affected districts include Aurangabad, Patna, Nalanda, Kaimur, Rohtas, Bhojpur, and Buxar. Most lightning-related deaths occur between 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., when many people are outside for work.
The article also points out that South-Central Bihar is more prone to lightning strikes compared to other regions of the state. In addition, the Bihar Rashtriya Pasi Sena-a platform representing the Pasi community, which has traditionally been involved in toddy tapping-has found that the area under palm tree cultivation in Bihar has decreased by 40%. The article further notes that the planting of palm trees has almost stopped.
The NGT, June 5, 2025 observed that the matter attracted the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Bihar State Pollution Control Board along with Ministry of Environment, Forest and climate Change, Regional Office (ECZ), Ranchi; Bihar Disaster Management Department and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) was directed to file their response on the matter. The matter will be taken up by the eastern bench of the NGT on August 7, 2025.