Locust attack in Fazilka, officials say timely action prevented crop damage
FAZILKA: A severe locust attack in at least three villages along the India-pakistan border in Fazilka district since Sunday night put the state authorities on high alert.
However, timely action against the attack ensured the elimination of locusts, the officials said, adding that no damage was caused to crops.
State agriculture officials said the swamp of locusts had arrived in Punjab directly from Pakistan.
Sutantar Kumar Airi, director, agriculture, on Monday said the department has been on a high alert after Pakistan declared a national emergency last week to tackle the insects destroying crops on a largescale in Punjab province. He said insect colonies in Fazilka were controlled by timely spray of insecticides on about 600 trees along the international border. “No significant damage to standing crops in the border area of Fazilka has been witnessed,” said Airi, who supervised the field operation to mitigate the locust attack.
Insects were noticed at around 9 pm on Sunday and state authorities immediately swung into action. The swamp of locust attacked a stretch of 3-km, the largest so far in the border area, said Airi.
Manpreet Singh Chhatwal, who demitted the office of Fazilka DC on Monday, convened an emergency meeting of the district authorities and BSF officials late on Sunday night to tackle the situation in the affected villages.
An HT team that visited the affected villages of Roopnagar, Bareka and Sohana witnessed several farmers beating empty canisters and utensils to keep locusts away from their fields of mustard and wheat.
Hundreds of dead locusts were found dead around a BSF post where the agriculture department had sprayed on trees, the natural colonies of the deadly insect. Several farmers in the affected villages claimed that locusts have damaged their mustard crop.
A joint operation was launched on the order of Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, which wiped out locusts from the affected villages, an official release in Chandigarh said. The nearly 12-hour operation, in Roopnagar and Bareka villages, was carried out under the supervision of Airi, under the directions of financial commissioner (development) Viswajeet Khanna.
‘UNDER CONTROL NO THREAT IN NEXT 2 MTHS’
JAIPUR: Locust attack in neighbouring Rajasthan is under control and there is no big threat to crops from grasshoppers in coming two months, the Locust Control Organisation (LCO) in Jodhpur said.
LCO deputy director KL Gujjar said the last attack by immature adult locusts had occurred on December 15, which proved most damaging to crops in bordering districts of Jalore, Jodhpur, Barmer, Bikaner and Jaisalmer, and some area of Gujarat adjoining Pakistan.