Locusts do not attack animals or humans, but can devastate crops (Representations)
Lucknow:
At least 10 districts of Uttar Pradesh were on alert Tuesday after locust clouds were spotted in the districts of Mahoba and Jhansi, entering the state after attacking crops in neighboring Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, indicated officials.
Locusts entered Rajasthan from Pakistan earlier this month and then drifted to other parts of western India.
A desert locust is a regular feature of the country but on a very small scale, an official from the Union’s environment ministry told PTI.
“This attack is huge. It is a unique situation over a decade and it is very badly synchronized for us because we are already dealing with a coronavirus,” Soumitra Dasgupta, general inspector of wildlife, told PTI.
“Local officials have been put on alert and asked to stay prepared with chemicals in tractor-mounted sprayers, electric sprayers and firefighters,” said a government spokesman for Uttar Pradesh.
In Jhansi, locusts have been spotted in the past two days and farmers have said they should alert a control room whenever they see a swarm.
In Mahoba district, partial damage to vegetables on 25 hectares has been reported and a detailed assessment of the loss is underway, said the spokesperson.
In Rajasthan, pesticides were sprayed on locust swarms at two locations in Dausa district on Monday evening.
On Tuesday, some swarms moved to Karauli and other surrounding areas, said Rajasthan’s agriculture commissioner Om Prakash.
He said that Jaipur and Dausa had now been rid of the locusts.
Locust activity in Karauli in Rajasthan has triggered an alert in Jhansi, Lalitpur, Jalaun and Auraiya in the UP as well as in adjacent districts like Hamirpur, Kannauj, Etawah and Kanpur Dehat.
UP Deputy Director of Agriculture Kamal Katiyar said a team from Kota, Rajasthan is helping to control locusts.
Jhansi district magistrate Andra Vamsi said farmers had said to contact the control room because information sharing is important.
“This is an emergency, and we must remain vigilant. This swarm has crossed Iran, Pakistan, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Two days ago, a large number of locusts were killed in the following the spraying of chemicals, “said the DM.
In some places in the UP, farmers have been advised to beat “thalis” to hunt these insects.
In the Vamsi district, the authorities installed public address systems in fields where crops could be attacked.
“Farmers have been asked to play loud music to hunt insects and save crops like moong and vegetables,” said the official.
Locusts do not attack animals or humans, but can devastate crops and other green areas.
Vamsi said a team of seven members of the Center were on tour in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh to resolve the problem.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
