Locusts Attack in India

Delhi issues advisory to tackle locust threat as capital braces for attack

 

Massive swarms of desert locusts are destroying crops across western and central India, spearing into Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab now, after Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, as the government said it has stepped up its response to the country's worst locust attack in nearly three decades.

Locust containment measures and sprinkling operations have been conducted in 303 locations spread over more than 47,000 hectares till Wednesday in 20 districts of Rajasthan, nine in Madhya Pradesh, two in Gujarat and one each in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, sources in the Agriculture Ministry said.

After attacking crops in Madhya Pradesh, a swarn of locusts reached Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi district on Wednesday, a government official said. Other districts in the region are also on alert.

EXTENT OF DAMAGE LOCUST CAUSED DURING PREVIOUS ATTACKS

As per the Union Agriculture Ministry data, locusts damaged crops worth Rs 10 crore during the 1926-31 plague cycle. During the 1940-46 and 1949-55 locust plague cycles, the damage was estimated at Rs 2 crore per cycle, and at Rs 50 lakh during the last locust plague cycle (1959-62).

The government does not consider locust upsurges during 1978 and 1993 and several in-between as major outbreaks. But as per the government records, 190 locusts swarms had attacked an area of at least 3,10,000 hectares in Jaiselmer, Barmer, Bhuj and Jalore districts of Rajasthan in 1993. Large areas in these districts again had to be treated with chemicals to get rid of locust swarms in 1997 and 2005.

 

Further details :https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/news/india-faces-worst-locust-attack-in-27-years/videoshow/76059804.cms