Govt weighs use of drones, planes to bring down locust swarms

“A committee under the chairmanship of the Additional Secretary of the Department has been constituted to procure services and goods for spraying insecticides through drones and airplanes,” the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

With swarms of immature locusts sweeping across 13 districts in four states, the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare is considering the use of aircraft for spraying insecticides to control the spread of the crop-devouring insects.

“A committee under the chairmanship of the Additional Secretary of the Department has been constituted to procure services and goods for spraying insecticides through drones and airplanes,” the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

The statement said: “Drones will be used to spray pesticides on tall trees and inaccessible places for effective control of locusts, while plans are afoot to deploy helicopters for aerial spray.”

Two firms have been finalised via tenders for the use of drones.

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Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar reviewed locust control operations along with senior officials of his ministry on Thursday and said the government is “dealing urgently” with the situation. He also assured the affected states of additional resources and financial aid, if required.

According to the Agriculture Ministry, as of Thursday, swarms of immature locusts were active in six districts in Rajasthan—Barmer, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Bikaner, Suratgarh and Dausa; four districts in Madhya Pradesh—Rewa, Morena, Betul and Khandwa; two in Maharashtra—Nagpur and Amravati; and in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi district.

“Today, there is no information regarding entry of any new locust swarm from the Indo-Pak border areas, whereas, on 26.05.2020, a locust swarm entered from Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan and control operation is going on against these swarms,” the ministry said.

Its statement added that the spread has been controlled in an area of about 50,468 hectares in 334 locations in Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

“The Centre is in close touch with the affected States and an Advisory has been issued. 15 sprayers will start arriving from Britain in the next 15 days. Besides, 45 more sprayers will be procured in a month or one-and-a-half months,” it said.

Several states and Union Territories, including Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, have warned against possible locust attacks.

However, there is no immediate danger of the swarms heading towards Delhi.