India faces its worst locust swarm in nearly 30 years
by Source:After damaging crops in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, swarms of locusts entered Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi district Wednesday and could head towards Maharashtra's Ramtek city amid what is being described as the worst attack in 26 years.
Punjab,usuallyunaffectedbythemenace,isalsogearingupforthepossibilityofalocustattack.
"Itisnotanewproblemandwehadbeenfacingitforalongtime.Thisyear,thelocustsattackistheworstin26years,"saidanofficialattheFaridabad-basedLocustWarningOrganisation.
According to the Union agriculture ministry, 21 districts in Rajasthan, 18 in Madhya Pradesh, two in Gujarat and one in Punjab have undertaken locust control measures till now.
Rajasthan on Wednesday deployed a drone to spray pesticide on locusts in Jaipur district's Samod area and the Union ministry said it too is acquiring the machines.
The LWO official said there is a coordinated effort to contain the locust spread.
Earlier, locusts have been confined to Rajasthan and Gujarat. Since the insects are not finding enough food to survive, they are moving to other areas with the help of strong winds, he said.
AccordingtotheIndianCouncilofAgriculturalResearchDirectorGeneralTrilochanMohapatra,theinsectshaveattackedabout40,000hectaresofland.
Butthereisnoimpactonrabicropslikewheat,pulsesandoilseedsasmostofthemareharvestedbynow.
"ThefocusnowistostoptheoutbreakpriortoarrivalofmonsoonrainfallinJune-Julywhenlocustswillmatureandbreed.Iftheinfestationisnotcontrolled,itwillposeathreattokharifcrops,"hesaid.
AswarmreachedJhansidistrictonWednesday,anUttarPradeshofficialsaid.Otherdistrictsintheregionarealsoonalert.
Locustsstruckthesamedistrictlastweekaswell,butauthoritiessaidtheyeliminatedhalfofthatswarmwiththehelpoflocalpeople.
ThelatestswarmwasspottedinneighbouringMadhyaPradesh'sDatiadistrict.
Anticipatingitsarrival,Jhansiadministrationhadalreadydeployedfirebrigadevehiclesloadedwithpesticideandtakenothermeasures.
ThelocustsreachedSkillvillageinGarauthatehsilaround4.30pm,saidJhansidivision'sDeputyDirectorAgricultureKamalKatiyar.
Theswarmisspreadoveranareaofaboutonesquarekilometre.
"ArelativelysmallswarmoflocustswasalsospottedinDatawalivillageunderSamtharpolicestationarea,"Katiyarsaid.
InMaharashtra,officialssaidswarmsthathadenteredKatolandParseoniinNagpurdistrictoverthelastfourdaysmightnowmovetowardsRamtekcity.
Itis,however,difficulttopredicttheirexactflyingcourse,anagriculturedepartmentofficialsaid.
Theswarms,stretchingupto17km,hadfirstenteredfarmsinNagpurdistrict'sKatolandWardha'sAshtitalukaonSaturdaynightandSunday,damagingorangeandvegetableplantations.
ThelocuststhenmovedtowardsParseonitehsilonMondaynight.
"TheseswarmsaremovingtowardsRamtekorMouda(inNagpurdistrict).However,onecannotsayforsurewheretheswarmsoflocustswilldescend,"RaviBhosale,DivisionalJointDirectorinAgricultureDepartment,said.
"TheymightflyinthedirectionofRamtekormightchangethecourse,astheyflyaspertheflowofwind,"headded.
Punjabfearsitcouldbeatarget.
"AnalerthasbeenissuedinwholePunjab,"AgricultureDirectorSawtantarKumarAirisaid.
Controlroomshavebeensetupineachdistrictandfarmersaskedtoreportanylocustactivity,hesaid.
LocustswerespottedinsomevillagesinPunjab'sFazilkaandMuktsardistrictsinJanuarybutwereeffectivelycontainedthen.
ThecurrentattackbeganlastmonthwhenswarmsenteredRajasthanfromPakistan,andthenspreadtootherwesternstates.