In Pics: Locust Attack In Rajasthan

So far 90,000 hectares in 20 districts of Rajasthan have been affected due to the locust attack. Swarms of locusts moved from Sri Ganganagar, Nagaur, Jaipur, Dausa, Karauli and Sawai Madhopur towards other areas in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Tabeenah Anjum

Updated on: 5 June 2020 12:41 pm

In Pics: Locust Attack In Rajasthan

In 2019 locusts invaded Rajasthan after a gap of 26 years. Swarms of locusts entered several districts of Rajasthan via Pakistan’s Sindh province. Until February this year, swarms had damaged crop across 670,000 hectares in 12 districts with an estimated loss of about Rs 1,000, as per state agriculture commission. This year the first locust attack was on May 11 in Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh districts of Rajasthan. So far 90,000 hectares in 20 districts of Rajasthan have been affected due to the locust attack. Swarms of locusts moved from Sri Ganganagar, Nagaur, Jaipur, Dausa, Karauli and Sawai Madhopur towards other areas in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

The size of these swarms can vary—from less than one square kilometre to several hundred square kilometres. A one square kilometre swarm contains about 40 million locusts. They can eat as much food as 35,000 people assuming each individual consumes 2.3 kg of food per day.

While farmers are using traditional methods to flee swarms. The Union Agriculture Ministry’s Locust Warning Organisation (LWO), headquartered in Jodhpur, has deployed teams carrying equipment such as vehicle mounted ULV Spray, tractor mounted sprayer, fire fighter, fire tender vehicle, drones and high-intensity insecticide to prevent the spread of locusts

According to LWO, grasshoppers emerged from eastern Africa and travelled through Saudi Arabia and Iran to enter Pakistan's Sindh province known for producing cotton crop.