No possibility of locust swarm reaching Delhi immediately, says agriculture expert

New Delhi: An agriculture expert has said that there is no possibility of locust swarm reaching New Delhi by 4 PM on Wednesday as stated in some quarters. "The swarms are moving towards Dausa, Karauli and Dholpur," said Dr K L Gurjar, Deputy Director of the Locust Warning Organization (LWO).

Rumours were circulating on WhatsApp of a locust attack in Delhi by 4 pm today. Dr KL Gurjar said that all such information about swarm attack was fake.   

However, other parts of the country have witnessed deadly locust attacks. The locust outbreak has been one of the worst the country has suffered in decades. The deadly attacks continue to wreak havoc on farms in different states across the country.

The locust attack on agriculture farms comes at a time when the country is fighting a deadly coronavirus pandemic. 

The migratory pests who are known for feasting on all sorts of crops and plants have affected different parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

This is said to be the deadly locust attack in over 26 years. Social media has been abuzz with photos and videos of locust swarms moving upon residential areas.

What are locusts?

Locusts include insects that belong to the family of grasshoppers. These are the oldest migratory pests in the world. Though the locusts are said to be harmless, they breed fast in environmental conditions like cyclones and prolonged monsoon. 

With indiscriminate increase in their population, they change their behaviour and form swarms to attack the crops.

What do experts believe?

Experts believe that favourable weather conditions, Pakistan's inability to contain the locust infestation and growing locust population in the middle east and Africa could be the reasons why India is facing the worst locust attack in 26 years.