Uttar Pradesh: 17 districts expected to face locust invasion

AGRA: A fresh swarm of locusts that has reached Dausa district of Rajasthan is expected to affect 17 districts in Uttar Pradesh, including Agra. In an attempt to tackle the menace, the district administration has deployed 204 tractors mounted with chemical sprays.

Swarms of locusts that had reached Dausa district two days ago got scattered due to the change in direction of the wind and reached Madhya Pradesh.

According to the agriculture department officials, the 17 UP districts that might suffer from locust invasion include Agra, Aligarh, Mathura, Bulandshahr, Hathras, Etah, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etawah, Farrukhabad, Auraiya, Jalaun, Kanpur, Jhansi, Mahoba, Hamirpur and Lalitpur.

DM Prabhu N Singh said, "To prevent damage caused by locust, 204 tractors mounted with chemical sprays have been deployed. We are spreading awareness among farmers to save their produce from locusts."