International Standards on lightning protection risk assessment (IEC 62305-2: 2010) are well accepted and applied in many parts of the world. During the last few years a large number of lightning related accidents, especially due to direct strikes, have been reported from Asia and Africa where the lightning struck objects are small structures. Information gathered from several investigations done on these cases have been used to determine the level of protection needed for these structures as per the standard risk assessment. In many cases the outcome was the none-requirement of any LPS for such structures or a risk factor for direct strike probability which is less than the critical value. As there are millions of similar structures in these regions, we propose the development of a separate risk assessment algorithm for such structures, especially in underdeveloped countries.

This is the first investigation and analysis of lightning related incidents in Zambia. Two case studies on both human injuries and equipment damage at five sites are reported. Lightning injuries were mostly attributed to the lack of proper structural protection systems, although lack of awareness among the public may also contribute to the situation. Many injury mechanisms, including unsuccessful upward streamers, may cause injuries. Design of lightning protection schemes should take social structures and affordability by the affected public into account. Losses in the power sector are excessively high in the region and seriously affect the operation of both business and domestic life. Replacement cost incurred by the power companies can be prohibitive. Lightning density and pattern in the localized areas, grounding systems of the installations, and specification and installation techniques of lightning arresters should be revisited in giving proper solutions to transformer and power line failures.

This paper presents analysis of human observations on thunder days in five regional centers in Zambia. The regions covered are specifically of interest to aviation industry. The variation pattern of monthly thunder days show that the lightning activity has well-detectable oscillatory pattern over the year. However, the pattern varies from region to region thus, as a single country Zambia experiences lightning almost throughout the year. We strongly recommend the installation of automated lightning detection system in the country to provide more accurate lightning ground flash and cloud flash density mapping.Such information will play a vital role in lightning safety and protection planning.