Locusts reach UP town, Raj braces for fresh swarms

NEW DELHI: The swarm of locusts which was seen in different parts of Delhi NCR including Gurugram and south Delhi on Saturday has reached Kasganj in western Uttar Pradesh after an unsuccessful attempt to control it, a top official of the Locust Warning Organisation said on Sunday.

“We couldn’t control the entire swarm. They flew again early on Sunday morning. We have arranged for drones, fire brigades, apart from seven teams with sprayer mounted on vehicles. We are trying our best to control it. Control operations will begin again tonight. Teams are moving with the swarm,” said K L Gurjar, deputy director, Locust Warning Organisation.

LWO also has several teams in Rajasthan that are trying to control fresh swarms coming in from Pakistan and Iran. “Cont r ol operations have been strengthened at the border to ensure swarms don’t come in,” Gurjar said.

Meanwhile with monsoon approaching the arid regions of Rajasthan, breeding of locusts have started in several pockets, Gurjar had said on Saturday. “Locusts have laid eggs and hoppers have emerged. But we will manage to control these hoppers immediately.”

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) released its Desert Locust Situation update on Saturday evening where it said that although control operations continue, a general northerly movement of swarms will occur in three countries. Some of the swarms in northwest Kenya are expected to transit through South Sudan to reach the summer breeding areas of Sudan where some rains have already started. If these rains are not enough, there is a risk that swarms could continue to eastern Chad and spread westwards