India faces worst locusts attack since 1993

NEW DELHI: As the country deals with the pandemic, a new environmental tragedy in form of locusts engulfs parts of it.  The swarms of grasshoppers invaded six talukas across three districts-Amravati, Wardha and Nagpur in Vidarbha threatening major crop fields.

According to the Maharashtra State Agricultural Department, the swarm of grasshoppers is at least 10 km long and two km wide, which has covered a distance of around 120 km and increasing.

The worst affected areas include 22 villages across Wardha and Morshi talukas in Amravati; Narkhed, Katol and Kalmeshwar taluks in Nagpur and Ashti taluka in upper Wardha district.

The last time when Maharashtra witnessed such a large invasion of locusts was in 1993 in Dhule district, said the Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) under union agricultural ministry.

With the attack of locusts reachied as far as Amravati, border districts of Telangana with Maharashtra have been sealed.

B Janardhan Reddy, Agricultural Commissioner, said that if the problem of locusts is not contained in Maharashtra, there is a possibility that swarm of grasshoppers will move to Telangana.

To make farmers aware about the possible swarm attack, authorities have asked to form village level committees to educate farmers on the precautionary measures to be taken in case of locusts attack.

Uttar Pradesh government has already started taking measures for second wave of locusts attack. As per the officials the large swarm of grasshoppers will enter via Jhansi border. Earlier the state managed to divert the swarm to Madhya Pradesh by using loud music and remaining were killed using pesticides by teams formed by government.       

Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra is witnessing the locusts attack which entered the country via Pakistan. These rapidly reproducing crop munching pests can eat daily amounts equal to its weight, and can fly up to 150 km in a day.

Updates:

The department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has stepped up countermeasures to minimise the destruction caused by the locusts in various affected regions of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.

The control operations against locust attack has been carried out in an area of 47,308 hectares in 303 worst hit districts in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Pujab and Madhya Pradesh. According to Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, these control operations were conducted by Locust Circle Officers (LCOs), in coordination with State Agriculture Department and District Administration till May 26.

In a bid to control the swarm, 120 survey vehicles;47 control vehicles with sprat equipment; 89 fire brigades for spraying pesticides, and 810 tractors with mounted spray canons have been deployed as per the requirement in different affected areas, the ministry further said in a statement.

Detailing the extent of activity of these locusts, the ministry has said that active swarms of immature locusts have been found in Barmer, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Bikaner, Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Sikar,Jaipur in Rajasthan & Satna, Gwalior, Seedhi, Rajgarh, Baitul, Devas, Agar Malwa of Madhya Pradesh.