It’s been pretty much accepted that this year is the literal personification of Murphy’s Law. Every crappy thing that can happen will happen, and in case you thought the worst was over, there might be some more coming. And this time, it’s biblical.
According to Economic Times, locust swarms might be heading towards several parts of India, and they could destroy every crop in their path.
The swarms from Pakistan have entered Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, and they could cause major damage to over 200,000 hectares of standing cotton crops and vegetables. They may even hit Delhi within a week’s time.
In Rajasthan, 16 out of 33 districts are already battling the pests, 15 districts in Madhya Pradesh are likely to be affected and districts bordering Rajasthan have been put on high alert in Haryana and Punjab.
The states have asked the Centre for help. Rajasthan agriculture minister Lal Chand Kataria said,
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has warned of a large-scale locust outbreak this year and the impact will be 2-3 times higher than that of the previous year. We have floated tender for drones, which can spray pesticides to areas which are inaccessible by vehicles.
The locusts have attacked earlier than predicted, causing major concerns that kharif sowing will be affected, Considering even a small locust swarm can eat the equivalent of 2500 people, this is a cause for worry.