At a time when the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic has gripped the country and cases have been rising as India has reported 132,000 cases of the virus with 3,867 death, the country faced another disaster – Cyclone Amphan which has severely hit Odisha and West Bengal. The cyclone has killed 86 people in West Bengal with the Centre announcing 1500 relief package to West Bengal and Odisha. Now, India is facing yet another problem as it scrambles to save its crops from an impending locust attack.
After Iran and Pakistan, the locust swarm has entered India – affecting Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh. Locusts, which belongs to the family of grasshoppers is an insect which under suitable environmental conditions, the locusts become gregarious and start breeding abundantly. As their populations gets denser, they start moving at a breakneck speed, damaging crops along the way.
“Locust swarm from Pakistan has entered Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, threatening major damage to standing cotton crops and vegetables. Rajasthan is the most affected state. During the current year, the swarm of locusts has entered India earlier than their normal time of June and July. States are adopting various means for controlling the swarms,” said the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
The Agra administration has also sounded out a warning over an impending locust attack in the district. “We got information that swarm of locusts is in Rajasthan’s Karauli. We have issued an alert in Agra. We have also asked the farmers to take steps like beating drums in the fields and produce smoke to keep the locusts away. We have procured pesticides and arranged 50 tractors and 3 fire brigade vehicles,” said Ram Pravesh, District Agriculture Officer.
The threat of locusts can be gauged from the fact that a swarm of desert locusts has the potential to destroy food that would be able to feed 35,000 people.
The locust swarm originated in the horn of Africa and travelled to Iran which then rapidly travelled to Pakistan and has now finally reached India. This is the second locust outbreak in the country this year with last year too, Rajasthan witnessed a devastating locust attack.
In February this year, the United Nations warned of ‘major shock’ as the locust outbreak was rapidly spreading in Africa.
“There is the risk of a catastrophe,” said UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock. He further added that locusts “do wanton damage.”
United Nation’s specialised agency, Food and Agriculture Organisation had also sent the alarm bell ringings in February this year. “This year there is a twin danger of swarm invasion from Iran and as well as from the Horn of Africa,” said FAO’s Senior Locust Forecasting Officer Keith Cressman.
Cressman further added, “This year there is a very acute danger of the locusts for the first time in a long time to migrate in great numbers from the horn of Africa at the beginning of the monsoon rainy season in India and Pakistan.”
However, Cressman was optimistic about India as he said, “because they met the challenge last summer very well. But they also learned very many lessons from six months of control operations and now they are applying these lessons.”
He further added that, “learned very many lessons from six months of control operations and now they are applying these lessons, they are increasing the number of control teams, they are taking steps to double the number of control teams and they are also putting into place contingency plans for any aerial control operations that might be needed in this coming summer.”
India has already taken steps to combat the locust attack and also asked for cooperation and expressed desire to help Iran and Pakistan. India’s proposal for a coordinated response was received positively by Iran as the latter received India’s supply of malathion with India also engaging with Iran with other pest control operations.
While, Iran has responded positively, there has been no response from Pakistan on India’s proposal. However in 2019, both India and Pakistan had jointly worked to tackle the threat of locusts.
“Recently, two joint border meetings were held on June 19 and July 17, 2019, at Munabao (India) and Khokhrapar (Pakistan) respectively. Both countries shared the locust infestation information and control measures taken by them and agreed to continue the control operations in their territories,” said Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Agriculture Minister in 2019. It remains to be seen whether Pakistan will cooperate with India this time around.
