Locust Threat in India

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Delhi NCR › Locust Attack In Delhi Gurugram Noida Greater Noida Faridabad People Play Dj Loud Music Fire Crackers

दिल्ली-एनसीआर में टिड्डी दल का हमला, गुरुग्राम के रास्ते दिल्ली फिर ग्रेटर नोएडा और फरीदाबाद पहुंचा

अमर उजाला नेटवर्क, फरीदाबाद, Updated Sat, 27 Jun 2020 05:53 PM IST


कोरोना संकट से जूझ रहे दिल्ली-एनसीआर वासियों को अभी राहत भी नहीं मिली थी कि शनिवार को टिड्डी के रूप में नई मुसीबत सामने आ गई। टिड्डी दल ने शनिवार को पहले झज्जर फिर गुरुग्राम, पटौदी, दिल्ली, ग्रेटर नोएडा और फरीदाबाद में धावा बोल दिया। गुरुग्राम पहाड़ी के रास्ते शहर पहुंची टिड्डियों से आसामान में चारों तरफ टिड्डियां ही टिड्डियां नजर आ रही थी। इसके वजह से लोग अपने घरों में छिप गए। आगे जानिए लोगों ने इसे भगाने का प्रयास कैसे किया और कहां कितना नुकसान हुआ....

हालांकि कृषि क्षेत्र पर इनका कोई असर देखने को नहीं मिला। टिड्डियों को भगाने के लिए लोगों ने बर्तन, बम पटाखे फोड़ने के साथ ही साथ डीजे बजाए। इससे टिड्डियां नोएडा की ओर मुड़ गई। इनसे निपटने के लिए कृषि विभाग ने भी कमर कस ली है। कृषि विभाग के अधिकारियों का कहना है कि यदि टिड्डी दल वापस लौटकर आता है तो उससे निपटने के लिए विभाग ने अपनी पूरी तैयारी कर ली है।

राजस्थान के कई जिलों में पिछले डेढ़ महीनों में टिड्डी दलों ने किसानों की फसलों पर कहर बरपा कर चौपट कर दिया है। इसके मद्देनजर किसान और सरकार सभी चिंतित हैं। फरीदाबाद में शनिवार दोपहर टिड्डियों का दल पहुंच गया है। गुरुग्राम से पहाड़ी से सूरजकुंड, मेवला महाराजपुर, सेक्टर-27,28,29,30, 31 में दोपहर लाखों की संख्या में टिड्डियां पहुंच गई हैं। यहां इन टिड्डियों ने पेड़ों के पत्तों को खाना शुरू कर दिया है। टिड्डियों को भगनाने के लिए लोगों ने तेज आवाज में डीजे, बर्तन और पटाके फोडे। इससे टिड्डियां यमुनापार कर नोएडा की तरफ निकल गई।

ग्रेटर फरीदाबाद के कई गांवों में बोला धावा
शहरी क्षेत्र के बाद टिड्डी दल ग्रेटर फरीदाबाद के गांव रिवाजपुल, अमीपुर, मंझावली, जसाना आदि की तरफ पहुंचा। टिड्डियों को देखकर किसानों की चिंता बढ़ गई। हालांकि कृषि विभाग द्वारा गांव में पहले से मुनादी कराए जाने से किसान जागरुक दिखाई दिए।

आसमान में धूल के गुबार की तरह उड़ती दिखी टिड्डियां
फरीदाबाद पहुंची टिड्डियों को देख किसानों के चेहरे का रंग उड़ गया है। खेतों में तैयार फसल की तरफ देखकर किसान टिड्डियों के कारण होने वाले नुकसान को लेकर चिंतित दिखे। सुबह करीब 10 बजे से ही गुरुग्राम में टिड्डियों के आने की खबर सुनते ही शहर के किसानों की हवाइयां उड़ने लगी। दोपहर होते होते बल्लभगढ़ व ग्रेटर फरीदाबाद के किसानों की चिंता ओर अधिक बढ़ गई। यमुना के साथ लगते गांव में सब्जियां खेतों में तैयार हैं। गांव वजीरपुर के किसान बालकिशन ने बताया कि उनके गांव में तोरई, टमाटर, खीरा, भिंडी आदि की फसल तैयार है हालांकि ज्यादातर जमींदारों ने अपने खेत छोटे किसानों को बटाई पर दे रखे हैं, मगर टिड्डियों की वजह से ग्रामीण चिंतित दिखे।

ग्रामीणों ने कहा कि आज से पहले उन्होंने इतनी तादात में टिड्डियां नहीं देखी। गांव छांयसा के रूप चंद का कहना है कि गांव के आसपास टिड्डियां अचानक से झुंड में आ घुसी। गांव में एक साथ इतनी टिड्डियां देखकर दोपहर में ही गांव के लोग घरों से बाहर निकल आए। खेतों में बैठी टिड्डियों को भगाने के लिए गांव के लोगों ने थालियां, खाली कनस्तर, टीन के टुकड़ों से शोर मचाना शुरू कर दिया। कुछ किसानों ने जानवरों को भगाने के लिए पटाखे रखे हुए थे, उन्हें भी टिड्डियों को भगाने के लिए इस्तेमाल किया। फिलहाल खतरा टल गया और टिड्डियां उड़कर नोएडा की ओर चली गई हैं। मगर अभी भी किसानों को इनका डर सता रहा है।

गुरुग्राम की ओर से टिड्डियों ने फरीदाबाद में प्रवेश किया है, जो सेक्टर, 28,20, 31 और रिवाजपुर, अमीपुर, मंझावली, जसाना आदि गांव की तरफ से नोएडा की तरफ चली गई हैं। टिड्डियों को लेकर गांव में पहले ही मुनादी करवा दी गई थी। इसलिए किसानों ने गांव में पहुंचने पर बर्तन, कनस्तर, पटाखे आदि बजाना शुरु कर दिए। इससे कोई नुकसान नहीं हुआ और यहां से यमुनापार निकल गई। टिड्डियों से निपटने के लिए विभाग ने दवा के साथ ट्रैक्टर, फायर बिग्रेड तैनात कर रखे है। - डॉ. अनिल तवंर, उप निदेशक, कृषि विभाग

दिल्ली-एनसीआर में टिड्डी दल का हमला, गुरुग्राम के रास्ते दिल्ली फिर ग्रेटर नोएडा और फरीदाबाद पहुंचा

 

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Uttar Pradesh › Agra › Pakistani Locust Group Attacks In Mainpuri Eats Hariyali Project

पाकिस्तान से आए टिड्डी दल ने बरबाद की फसलें, 'चट' किया हरियाली प्रोजेक्ट, पीछे-पीछे दौड़े अफसर

न्यूज डेस्क, अमर उजाला, मैनपुरी, Updated Mon, 29 Jun 2020 07:54 PM IST

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हरियाली प्रोजेक्ट में फसल पर बैठा टिड्डी दल, दूसरे चित्र में बबूल के पेड़ - फोटो : अमर उजाला

पाकिस्तान से उत्तर प्रदेश के मैनपुरी जिले में पहुंचा टिड्डी दल सोमवार को फिर से वापस आ गया। रविवार को ये दल जनपद से गुजर गया था। कुछ ही घंटों में टिड्डी दल ने किसानों की फसलों को नुकसान पहुंचा दिया। कृषि विभाग के अधिकारी टिड्डी दल के पीछे-पीछे भागते रहे। किसान भी शोर करके इन्हें भगाने की कोशिश करते रहे। सोमवार शाम को टिड्डी दल फिरोजाबाद की ओर निकल गया।



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किसान धुआं कर और तेज शोर कर इन्हें उड़ाते रहे- फोटो : अमर उजाला

सोमवार को सबसे पहले ये दल नवीगंज क्षेत्र में पहुंचा। यहां के गांव तिलियानी, लालपुर, जिनौरा, रसूलपुर, दौदापुर, नगला बहोरी, जोगा, नेकामऊ, बहदीनपुर, कमालपुर और जासमई में ये दल उड़ता रहा। जागरूकता के चलते किसान धुआं कर और तेज शोर कर इन्हें उड़ाते रहे। रात से लेकर सुबह 11 बजे तक इस क्षेत्र में टिड्डी का प्रकोप रहा।

पेड़ों की पत्तियों को चट करने के बाद देखते किसान- फोटो : अमर उजाला

रविवार की रात को ही टिड्डियों ने नगर पंचायत किशनी के हरीसिंहपुर के हरियाली प्रोजेक्ट के पेड़ों पर कब्जा कर लिया। सोमवार सुबह बिधूना चौराहा, नगला मंगद, नैगवां, मकरंदपुर सहित कई गांवों में ये दल मंडराने लगा। कई किसानों की फसल ये दल चट कर गया। हालांकि किसानों ने फसलों को बचाने के लिए तेज ध्वनि व शोर मचाकर टिड्डियों को भगाने का प्रयास किया। टिड्डियों ने हरियाली प्रोजेक्ट में लगे सैकड़ों पेड़ों की पत्तियों को चट कर लिया।

एसडीएम रामशकल मौर्य, उप कृषि निदेशक डीवी सिंह और जिला कृषि अधिकारी डॉ. गगनदीप सिंह टिड्डी दल की सूचना के बाद हरियाली प्रोजेक्ट पहुंचे। उन्होंने किसानों से नुकसान के बारे में बात की। किसानों ने बताया कि एक पेड़ पर भारी संख्या में टिड्डियों के बैठने से बबूल और नीम के पेड़ की डालियां टूटकर लटक गईं।


मैनपुरी में जागीर के गांव सगामई, मलिकपुर और बघिरुआ में फसलों को इससे नुकसान हुआ। लोगों ने तेज आवाज कर कर और दवा का छिड़काव कर उन्हें भगाया। यहां से दन्नाहार क्षेत्र के गांव भटानी, चिकनी, नगला आशा से होता हुआ टिड्डी दल फिरोजाबाद की ओर निकल गया। इससे कृषि विभाग और किसानों ने राहत की सांस ली है।

टिड्डी के जिले में आने से कृषि विभाग की नींद उड़ गई है। रविवार रात को जिला कृषि अधिकारी डॉ. गगनदीप सिंह टिड्डी पर दवा का स्प्रे कराने के लिए फायर ब्रिगेड और केमिकल के साथ बेवर क्षेत्र में पहुंचे थे। पूरी रात टीम टिड्डी दल की तलाश में जुटी रही, लेकिन कहीं दल नहीं मिला। सुबह तीन बजे टीम वापस लौट आई। जिला कृषि अधिकारी डॉ. गगनदीप सिंह ने बताया कि रात में ही इस पर दवा का स्प्रे किया जाना संभव है।

टिड्डी ने खेत में खड़ी धान की नर्सरी को सबसे अधिक नुकसान पहुंचाया है। हाल ये है कि किशनी और नवीगंज क्षेत्र के जिन गांवों में टिड्डी का प्रकोप रहा वहां नर्सरी खत्म हो गई। खेत में खड़ी ढेंचा, मक्का व अन्य फसलों के पत्तों को भी टिड्डी चट कर गई। इससे किसानों को कोई नुकसान नहीं है। टिड्डी दल जिले में घूमता हुआ फिरोजाबाद की ओर चला गया है। किसान सतर्क रहें, कहीं भी टिड्डी दिखाई देने पर तत्काल सूचना दें। साथ ही शोर कर उन्हें भगाने का प्रयास करें। डॉ. गगनदीप सिंह, जिला कृषि अधिकारी।

पाकिस्तान से आए टिड्डी दल ने बरबाद की फसलें, 'चट' किया हरियाली प्रोजेक्ट, पीछे-पीछे दौड़े अफसर

टिड्डी दल ने बरबाद की फसलें, किशनी, घिरोर, जागीर और नवीगंज क्षेत्र में सबसे अधिक रहा प्रकोप

www.amarujala.com

 

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After locust swarms seen in Delhi, neem leaves and firecrackers to chase pests
A high alert was issued by Delhi’s environment minister Gopal Rai in south and southwest districts of the city because of a potential locust attack threat .
DELHI Updated: Jun 28, 2020 11:24 IST

hindustantimes.com | Edited by Meenakshi Ray
Hindustan Times, New Delhi

A swarm of locusts flies over DLF area, in Gurugram on Saturday(PTI Photo )

Parts of Delhi have been placed on alert after a swarm of locusts invaded several suburbs and entered the national capital’s border areas on Saturday.
Residents in the National Capital Region (NCR), including rural west Delhi (Dwarka), Gurugram and Faridabad, saw thousands of the crop-destroying pests flying over the skies.
A high alert was issued by Delhi’s environment minister Gopal Rai in south and southwest districts of the city because of a potential locust attack threat .
All district magistrates, sub-divisional magistrates, the forest department and municipal corporations were issued advisories by the Delhi agriculture department.


Here’s what the advisory says:

* District magistrates have been advised to deploy adequate staff to make all possible arrangements like announcements in villages for guiding residents to distract the locusts by the beating of drum or utensils, playing high volume music, bursting firecrackers and burning neem leaves

* They have asked to remain in touch with the fire department to make arrangements for chemical spraying to save vegetation from the pests

* Resident have been asked to keep doors and windows closed

* People can cover outdoor plants with a plastic sheet, the advisory said

* Locusts usually fly during the day and rest at night and should not be allowed to rest after sundown

* Those spraying insecticides such as malathion or chlorpyrifos must use PPE kit for safety.

 

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Locust swarms sweep into central UP, Lucknow gears up for possible invasion
At the micro-level, farmers' teams have been constituted at the block level and have been asked to alert the authorities as soon as they spot any swarm of locusts in their area.

Published: 29th June 2020 03:55 PM | Last Updated: 29th June 2020 03:55 PM | A+A A-

A swarm of locusts. (File Photo | AP)

By Namita Bajpai
Express News Service

LUCKNOW: Swarms of locusts are now moving from western UP to deep into central districts such as Auraiyya, Kasganj, Farrukhabad, and Hathras.
State capital Lucknow is put on a high alert. Authorities concerned there are preparing to deal with the locust invasion as the city has enough greenery to draw the swarms.
As per the sources in the agriculture department, a swarm was about to reach Kanpur and Kasganj districts and there is a possibility of it moving to Lucknow. However, the wind direction would also decide the direction of their movement.
The districts which have already faced locust attacks include Jhansi and Lalitpur in the Bundelkhand region, Agra, Mathura, Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Pratapgarh, Gorakhpur, Siddharthnagar, and Varanasi. A swarm of locusts was last seen in Bulandshahr on Sunday. Meanwhile, on Saturday, the swarms were seen over NCR and Delhi.
According to the additional chief secretary (ACS), agriculture, Devesh Chaturvedi, the department was prepared to face any situation, a possible attack on important places like Raj Bhawan and CM House. The district administration was in alert mode with fire tenders ready to spray pesticides and keep loud music
systems in place to drive away the swarms of locusts as and when they attack.
The mango growers have also been cautioned against the locust attack. The pest has already hit 16 districts falling under seven divisions of the state. Lucknow may face a severe attack as the state capital that is full of gardens and parks.
“Raj Bhawan (Governor House) has a huge park full of greenery. Besides, places like the botanical garden and parks including Lohia and Janeshwar Mishra Park may become easy targets for the locusts.
Moreover, the outskirts of Lucknow have expansive farms and a respectable chunk of the rural population. The farms may also come under attack from the moth.
As per the preparations, both the district administration and agriculture department have alerted various bandwallas asking them to be ready with loud music systems to ward off the menace and also Municipal corporation’s water tanks and fire tenders have been kept in ready mode to spray chemicals depending on the timing of the attack, said the sources in district administration explaining the step taken at macro level to tackle any attack.
At the micro-level, farmers' teams have been constituted at the block level and have been asked to alert the authorities as soon as they spot any swarm of locusts in their area, said the sources.
The locust menace, according to those aware of the issue, may continue till September-October unless there are heavy rains that help kill them.

Locust swarms sweep into central UP, Lucknow gears up for possible invasion

 

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According to the latest report, government has been spraying pesticides from helicopters to kill and divert the locust from areas that are getting affected.

 

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What are locusts? And why are they such a big menace?
By Sanjeeb Mukherjee
August 05, 2020 14:07 IST


Swarms of immature pink locusts and adult yellow locusts are currrently active. Not only are fresh locusts swarms expected to arrive in the coming weeks, but even those already present in India have mated and are breeding new offspring.

Photograph: Njeri Mwangi/Reuters


It has been more than three months since the second wave of locusts hit India after the first attack earlier this year.
However, so far there are few signs that the menace is abating and if the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)'s latest advisory is anything to go by, the problem of locusts is expected to get worsen, going ahead.

This is because of new breeding the Horn of Africa, and fresh swarms are likely to move towards the India-Pakistan border in the coming weeks.
This may have serious implications for farmers, particularly in the worst-affected western parts of Rajasthan, where they lean heavily on monsoon kharif output due to paucity of water in the remaining months of the year.
Pearl millets, pulses, moong and moth are some of the main crops under threat due to the locust menace.
Though the government claims no significant crops loss has been reported so far from anywhere in the country except some parts of Rajasthan, experts said the fear will linger unless the locusts are completely brought under check.
Swarms of immature pink locusts and adult yellow locusts are currrently active in Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Churu, Sikar, Nagaur, Hanumangarh, Sriganganagar, Ajmer Pali, Alwar and Tonk districts of Rajasthan.
Not only are fresh locusts swarms expected to arrive in the coming weeks, but even those already present in India have mated and are breeding new offspring.
Therefore, even if hypothetically no new locust swarms come from the Horn of Africa and countries such as Somalia in the next few weeks, the problem will not go away.
“In India, adult groups and swarms are maturing throughout Rajasthan where laying is underway in many areas.
"So far, a few hopper groups and bands have formed but substantial hatching is expected in the coming weeks,” FAO said in its latest advisory on desert locusts.


Till July 20, the Central government claimed that field operations to control locusts has been carried out in almost 200,000 hectares of land Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Bihar by state and central governments.
So, what exactly are locusts and why are they so harmful to crops, even as they don’t harm human beings?

The characteristics of desert locusts

Photograph: PTI Photo


Locusts are insects that belong to the family of grasshoppers.
FAO considers them as the oldest migratory pests in the world, with the desert locust being the "most devastating" of them all.
Locusts are usually solitary and harmless.
But, certain environmental conditions such as prolonged monsoon and heavy cyclones help them reproduce faster – almost 20-fold within three months.
As per FAO, an adult locust can eat a quantity equal to its weight – about two grams – every single day.
However, a single square kilometer of the swarm can contain somewhere between 40-80 million adult locusts.
Every single day, if they cover 130-150 kilometers, they can eat the food consumed by as many as 35,000 people.
Therefore, if a swarm forms in the Horn of Africa and moves towards western Rajasthan via Iran and Afghanistan, it should take just 5-7 days for it to reach.
A desert locust lives for about three to five months.
Studies show that a locust swarm the size of Paris eats the same amount of food in one day as half the population of France; the size of New York City eats, in a single day, the same quantity as everyone in New York and California.
But, yes, locusts don't attack human beings or animals and feed only on green crops.


Climate change and locusts

Photograph: Baz Ratner/Reuters
Though not yet conclusively proved, experts say there is direct link between climate change and increase in locust attacks.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a specialised agency of the United Nations, recently said extreme weather events and climatic changes such as increases in temperature and rainfall over desert areas, and strong winds associated with tropical cyclones, provide a new environment for breeding, development and migration of pests such a locusts.
Citing an article in Nature Climate Change, WMO said while desert locusts have been around since biblical times, recent intense outbreaks can be linked to anthropogenic climate change and the increased frequency of extreme weather events.
“Attribution of a single event to climate change is difficult. However, climatic changes such as increases in temperature and rainfall over desert areas, and the strong winds associated with tropical cyclones, provide a new environment for pest breeding, development and migration.
"This suggests that global warming has played a role in creating the conditions required for the development, outbreak and survival of the locusts,” said scientists at the Intergovernmental Authority on Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC).
ICPAC, is a designated regional climate centre of the WMO.
The article cited Indian Ocean warming, intense and unusual tropical cyclones in the region and heavy rainfall and flooding as playing a key role in the proliferation of the pests.
“The recent locust outbreaks and the role of Indian Ocean warming show that the impact of climate change is not merely the consequence of changes in mean temperature, but also of increases in extreme and unprecedented events,” the article said.
Experts say locusts attacks in India usually last till November, but this year the swarms stayed on till February, as monsoon got extended providing natural vegetation for the pests to feed on and create ideal breeding conditions.
Thereafter, new swarms started coming April onwards.



India's control measures

Photograph: Njeri Mwangi/Reuters


So far, till July 21, the Central government claims that it, along with state agencies, has performed locust control operations on almost 200,000 hectares of land in about 10 states during the past four months.
As on date it has also deputed 104 control teams with spray vehicles in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, while more than 200 central government personnel are engaged in locust control operations.
India has also imported new 45 Ulvamast sprayers from the United Kingdom, of which 15 have already reached India and another 30 are on their way.
These high-capacity sprayers can cover large areas in one filling.
In addition, five companies with 15 drones have been deployed at Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Nagaur and Phalodi in Rajasthan for effective control of locusts on tall trees and in inaccessible areas through spraying of pesticides.
India is the first country to use drones for locust control.
Aerial spraying capacity has also been strengthened for anti-locust operations.
A Bell helicopter has been deployed for use in Rajasthan's affected areas as per the need.
The Indian Air Force also has conducted anti-locust operations on trial basis by using an Mi-17 helicopter.
In addition, weekly virtual meetings on desert locusts of South-West Asian countries (Afghanistan, India, Iran and Pakistan) are being organised by FAO.
So far, 15 such meetings of technical officers from South-West Asian countries have taken place on ways and means to control the pests.
Despite all the measures, however, locusts have stubbornly refused to leave.



National disaster and compensation demand

Photograph: Reuters



As locusts continue to wreak havoc in several parts of country despite best efforts, farmers groups and experts have called for declaring the attacks as a natural calamity, given their scope, spread and intensity.
This is because, though locusts have been attacking India for decades, this year’s infestation is among the worst in recent times.
That apart, several farmers groups have demanded adequate compensation to mitigate their losses and the incident should be included under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) so that crops can be insured.
“To me, the efforts made so far have been not up to the mark and a more coordinated approach between the Centre and states needs to have been there,” Bhagirath Choudhury of the South-Asia Biotechnology Centre (SABC), a not-for-profit organisation working in the field of science and agriculture, told Business Standard.
He said the problem has become chronic now because early warnings were ignored by the government.
“Had there been adequate coordination and measures from the time locusts were first sighted, such a situation would never have arisen,” he said.
He said now that locusts have come and are not showing any signs of abating despite several measures for the past four months, the government should strengthen its coordination with states and neighbouring countries, so that control measures can be taken on time.
“We shouldn’t be chasing the locusts as we are doing now, but should pre-empt their movement instead,” he said.

Now that the menace is getting worse, the government should seriously consider compensating farmers for the loss they have incurred, and including locusts attack under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Choudhury said.
“Or else, farmers will suffer big losses because, as per all information, new swarms are coming from Africa,” he said.


What are locusts? And why are they such a big menace?

 

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'Locusts don't attack people'
By A GANESH NADAR
May 28, 2020 14:04 IST


'They attack standing crops and vegetables.'
'They don't attack people.'
'People are just panicking.'

IMAGE: A huge swarm of locusts attack trees in a village in Jaipur. Photograph: Ashok Sharma/ANI Photo

https://www.rediff.com/news/report/gujarat-battles-worst-locust-attack/20191229.htm
Even as the nation fights the coronavirus pandemic, there is a new panic, this time over the swarms of locusts that have so far damaged crops in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and were heading into Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Although locust swarms flying into the country is an annual feature, this year it has come two months early and so was unexpected for this time.
The Government of India's Locust Warning Organisation under the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare has been in constant touch with the affected states to curb the menace before it spreads further.

Officials say this year's locust attack is the worst they have seen in 26 years.
Dr K L Gurjar, deputy director of the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage at the ministry of agriculture, who is busy coordinating the counter-measures with states, tells A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com that "there are eight to ten swarms" in the country.
"They are spread over three states -- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh," he adds.

What is different about this year's locust attack?
This year they have come two months early. They first come to Iran, they breed there in spring. Then they come to Baluchistan. They come to India in summer.

How does the government tackle them?
We are spraying them with chemicals. We do that at night and in the early morning hours.

How many swarms are currently in India?
Approximately there are eight to 10 swarms. They are spread over three states in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Do they come every year like a clockwork?
They come every year. Last year also they had come, but not so early.

What can be done to prevent the attacks?
We are continuously monitoring them. When they settle down at night, a team from the central government and state government work together.
We find them and then spray them with chemicals.

What is under risk, apart from crops? Do they come into cities, attack people etc?
They attack standing crops and vegetables. They don't attack people. People are just panicking.

Can they be genetically modified to make them more ferocious?
No, they are not genetically modified. There are growth regulators that can be introduced at the infant stage. But that is not available in India.

Can they be part of a bio attack?
No, that is not possible.

What is the locusts's life span?
Their lifespan is 90 days.

How long do these attacks last?
They normally last for one or two months when the migrations will continue. It depends on how many enter.
If they breed here, then it will last longer.

What is the value of the total damage they cause?
Presently there are no standing crops. So they have damaged only vegetables.


'Locusts don't attack people'