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New Delhi : Starting from April 11, 2020 till August 8, 2020, locust control operations have been done in 2,58,406 hectares area in States of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana by Locust Circle Offices (LCOs). Till August 9, 2020, control operations have been done in 2,64,491 hectares area in States of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Bihar by State Governments.
Control operations were carried out during day and night time on August 9, 2020, at 46 places in 7 districts viz. Barmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Nagaur, Churu, Hanumangarh, and Sriganganagar of Rajasthan and one place in Kutch district of Gujarat against hoppers and some scattered adults by LCOs.
At present, 104 control teams with spray vehicles are deployed in the States of Rajasthan and Gujarat, and more than 200 Central Government personnel are engaged in locust control operations. Further, 15 drones are deployed at Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Nagaur and Phalodi in Rajasthan for effective control of locusts on tall trees and in inaccessible areas through spraying of pesticides. Drones are used in hopper control also. A Bell helicopter has been deployed in Rajasthan for use in Scheduled Desert Area as per the need. Indian Air Force is also conducting trials in anti-locust operation by using a Mi-17 helicopter, according to a PIB release.
No significant crop losses have been reported in the States of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, and Haryana. However, some minor crop losses have been reported in some districts of Rajasthan.Y On August 9, 2020, hoppers / some scattered locust adults were active in Barmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Nagaur, Churu, Hanumangarh, and Sriganganagar of Rajasthan and in Kutch district of Gujarat.
As per the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Locust Status Update of August 7, 2020, desert locust swarms continue to persist in several countries in Horn of Africa and Yemen and summer breeding is in progress on both sides of Indo-Pak border.