INDIA: Amid coronavirus, cyclone ‘Amphan’ devastated financial crunch and migration of labourers to their homeland, India is struggling with the worst ‘locust attack’ in 27 years. The locust swarms destroy the entire vegetation and feed on every green lush field. The season of Kharif crops is in danger as the insects consume the food of 35,000 lives.
Already 5 states in India have been hit worst by desert locusts. The change of behaviour amongst the swarm takes place due to environmental change. This year, the swarms invaded India through Pakistan. It has been witnessed that this year the length of the locust swarm is around 2km-3 km long. In the last year of December Gujarat saw approximately 80 million swarms feeding 1 sq.km of area. The swarm entered Madhya Pradesh through Rajasthan via Neemuch. It advanced towards Ujjain and Dewas. Gujarat Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have also suffered the attack.
The government officials have been trying to take control of the entire situation. Ariel sprays of pesticides and drones for the examination of fields are being supported to tackle the devastation. Several volunteers are being trained to fight the attack along with certain types of equipment that have been imported from abroad to carry forth the measures and the precautions. The authority has been monitoring the affected areas.
The states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have experienced the locust attack. The swarm is yet to enter Delhi. The Sri Ganganagar of Western Rajasthan has undergone Pink locust attack. The farmers have encountered the same in Jodhpur, Jhalawar, Karauli and Bundi.
Lately, Gujarat has fought against locust swarms in Lodiya, Savarkundla, Kambha, Jaffarabad, Batod of Amreli. Surendranagar and Bhavnagar are not an exception as well.
The reports say that at least 16 districts in Madhya Pradesh namely, Neemuch, Mandsaur, Sheopur, Morena, Dewas, Raisen, Hoshangabad, Tikamgarh, Panna, Chatarpur, Sehore and Harda have been encountered the attack. Now the swarm is moving towards the westward.
Uttar Pradesh has run into devastation. So far, 17 districts, namely, Jhansi, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Agra, Aligarh, Mathura, Bulandshahr, Hathras, Etah, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etawah, Farrukhabad, Auraiya, Jalaun, Kanpur and Lalitpur have endured the attack of the same.
Alongside, 5 villages in Vidarbha, Maharashtra have encountered the attack.
Locust swarms have exploited Roopnagar and Bareka in Punjab. There are 3 villages in Fazilka districts that lie in the border of Pakistan that have come across the attack.
The reason for the change in the pattern of locust behaviour surfaced due to the recent cyclone in the Indian Ocean. The ordeal of longer monsoon has added the advance change. The third generation of breeding has increased the population by 8000-fold in June 2018 to March 2019. This year the locust swarms have entered earlier than the prior season.