Swarms of locusts enter Jaipur residential areas

Jaipur, May 25: Swarms of locusts entered some residential areas of the city on Monday, presenting the local people with an unusual sight.

Locusts normally affect districts in western Rajasthan but this time the swarms have travelled as far as Jaipur city. The swarms later headed towards Dausa district.

The swarms are travelling farther and damaging trees as there are no standing crops for them to feed on, an official said.

In Jaipur’s Murlipura and Vidhyadhar Nagar areas, people beat ‘thalis’ at the locusts that had settled on walls and trees, hoping to make them move on.

The menace of locust has spread to 18 districts of Rajasthan and they are rapidly travelling in search of food, Om Prakash, the commissioner of state agriculture department, said.

He said the swarms were in Nagaur and reached Jaipur and nearby areas on Sunday. They were seen in residential areas of the city on Monday and then they moved towards Dausa, Prakash said.

There is no standing crop on ground so they are staying on large trees and moving fast. Locust control teams conducted operations by sprinkling pesticide in Jaipur on Sunday night and on Monday but the remaining swarms have moved towards Dausa, he said.

Centre’s Locust Warning Organisation in Jodhpur and the state agriculture department are working in coordination to handle the locust attack issue.