Amid the coronavirus pandemic, India currently has to battle locust plague as well. The crop-devouring plague have invaded two dozen districts, covering approximately 50,000 hectares of desert areas of western India.
The swarm does not merely hit India as well. Its neighboring Pakistan is also facing the same problem, stating that this is the worst plague in nearly three decades. The country, accordingly, has declared this as a nationwide emergency.
According to the United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organizations, roughly 38% of Pakistan’s areas is the breeding grounds for locusts. Thus, a locust plague has become a seasonal issue in the region.
To battle the plague, India and Pakistan, together with Afghanistan and Iran, are working alongside each other. So far, those countries have conducted nine Skype calls to discuss the problem according to BBC.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, odd workers are hunting down the insects at night while wearing face masks and other basic protection. India will also remain cautious in the following months to combat the swarm.
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India vs Locust
Desert locust swarms have become a huge problem in India for decades, if not centuries. Between 1964 and 1997, India suffered from 25 locust plagues.
With the absence of proper controls, desert locusts can heavily jeopardize food supplies and potentially cause famine. Approximately 40 million locusts can eat up the same amount of daily food for three million people.
Accordingly, the swarms entered the borders of India in April 30. They are still swarming in several districts. Officials reported the worst swarms in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
“We are battling a major locust attack from across the border. This is the biggest invasion in nearly three decades,” says Mr. Gurjar, the deputy director of India’s Locust Warning Organization. “The swarms are very big and they have migrated from across the border after breeding a month earlier than we were expecting.”
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