(Chd,Pb) Destructive Swarms Locusts Spotted in Various Villages of Punjab
Locusts were spotted in some villages of Punjab’s Fazilka, Muktsar, Bhatinda
Farmers from the three districts have urged the agriculture department officials to take urgent steps to tackle the pests.
According to officials, locusts, popularly known as ‘Tiddi Dal’, have come from neighbouring Rajasthan which was attacked by one of the most destructive pests earlier this month following which authorities there undertook a massive exercise to contain the outbreak.
A few locust swarms were also reported in Anoopgarh and Sri Ganganagar districts of Rajasthan after their attack emanated from the desert area of Pakistan, they said.
The surveillance by scientists of Punjab Agricultural University at Abohar revealed the presence of locust hoppers in small numbers or groups (5 to 20) in Fazilka, Muktsar and Bathinda districts
As per Experts Locusts are short-horned grasshoppers with highly migratory habits and voracious feeding behaviour. Appearance of locusts in winter months is a new phenomenon and may be linked to climate change events
India has not witnessed any full blown locust cycles after 1962, however, during 1978 and 1993, large scale upsurges were observed.
Localised locust breeding has also been reported and controlled during 1998, 2002, 2005, 2007 and 2010. Since 2010, the situation has remained calm and no major breeding and swarm formation have been reported