As thousands of locusts swarm into the country originating from Africa, the state reported that this was the worst attack in 27 years of the crop-destroying insects. The citizens have been terrorized in the city of Jaipur by the huge insects that have attacked the scarce resources and crops.
“Massive swarms”
This Monday morning, the residents of Jaipur witnessed an attack by a swarm of locusts that invaded different parts of the city. As per officials, it is the first time that locusts have invaded residential areas of the city in the summer months.
In a desperate attempt to get rid of the pests, B.R. Karwa, the project director at Agricultural Technology Management Agency announced on Monday that it will be using drones and planes for the first time in Rajasthan.
It is for the first time that drones and planes will be used to fight the locust attack in Rajasthan, said B.R. Karwa, project director, Agricultural Technology Management Agency, here on Monday.
Karwa stated that the locusts entered Jaipur in the winter of 1993 and it is after three decades, that they have attacked the city in summer.
“Changed pattern”
This strategy will be adopted as the locusts have been following a different approach this season, They have been flying in high altitudes as compared to their natural low flight behaviour. This led to the Union Minister for Agriculture Kailash Chowdhary requesting the DGCA and tenders to aid the state government with planes and drones to spray pesticides from above on the swarms of insects.
“Crop Damage”
“As there are no standing crops in the fields, there is no loss in this season. However, we are adopting newer measures to check any loss in the coming seasons.” Karwa stated addressing the issue of losses in crops.
“Blame game”
While the state government struggles to find a way to get rid of the pests, the agricultural department has been raising fingers at Pakistan and Afghanistan to ignore the infestation within their boundaries and causing them to move towards India. The pests initially originated from Africa and thus used to take time to make their way to India. However, these pests have formed breeding centres in the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan which resulted in their early entry into the country through Rajasthan.
