Desert locust swarms have become the latest threat looming large on India amid the series of crises induced by the coronavirus pandemic. With several states in north India struggling to keep the large swarms of locusts at bay, the worst in 27 years, the government has moved to use advanced sprayers and drones to stop acres of crop from being damaged.
The central government has announced a slew of measures, including buying more sprayers to using drones and tractors to stop the locust swarms. The Centre has set up teams with the administrations in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and other states to check the menace.
Desert locusts that first attacked farmlands in Rajasthan have now spread to Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. The Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) has also issued high alerts for Punjab and Haryana where a swarm that is on the move is expected to enter.
Here are top developments on the latest threat of locust swarms:
1. The Union Agriculture Ministry has approved the procurement of 60 additional sprayers from the United Kingdom to spray chemicals on the farms to stop locust swarms from feeding on them.
2. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has approved “conditional exemption to government entity (DPPQS) for use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft System for anti-locust operations”. Two firms have been finalised for the use of drones to spray pesticides for locust control.
3. The government has said control operations have been stepped up in the affected states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
4. The Uttar Pradesh government has issued an alert as locust swarms are likely to affect crops in 17 districts of the state. These districts are Jhansi, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Agra, Aligarh, Mathura, Bulandshahr, Hathras, Etah, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etawah, Farrukhabad, Auraiya, Jalaun, Kanpur and Lalitpur. In Jhansi district, which is close to the Madhya Pradesh border, locusts have already damaged the crops.
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