Locust Swarms Could Reach Karnataka

Massive locust swarms have wreaked havoc in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra over the past few days. Karnataka could also be impacted by these swarms of desert locusts, according to media reports which cited officials. Desert locust swarms move in the direction of the wind up to 150 km per day. Authorities in Telangana are also said to be keeping a vigil on the movement of locusts in neighbouring Maharashtra.

Locusts have caused destruction in around 100 districts in these five states. Media reports state that another 12 districts face a potential threat of the locust infestation which began through large swarms entering Rajasthan from Pakistan. This invasion of more places could happen over the next few weeks.

Huge swarms of desert locusts entered Rajasthan from Pakistan and are supposed to have reached Pakistan from Iran. A senior official of the Agriculture Department of Rajasthan maintained that Balochistan and Pakistan may turn out to be the new breeding grounds of locusts which would then pose a major threat to India.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the UN body, had also cautioned Pakistan and India of another massive swarm of locusts which could head India's way originating from the Horn of Africa, later this year.

The desert locust is native to the Arabian desert and climate change is believed to be one of the major factors driving it towards newer places. Earlier, locust swarms coming from Pakistan used to be confined to Rajasthan for the most part. This time around however, huge swarm of locusts have invaded Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra so far and continue to pose a threat to other states.

Locusts descend in millions wiping out anything green in sight including leaves, flowers, fruits, crops of all kinds, stems and bark among other things. They can strip kilometres of greenery bare in a matter of hours wreaking havoc as they move. Each locust can eat up to its body weight in a day.