Delhi On High Alert After Swarm Of Locusts Reaches Gurugram; Check Areas That Are Likely To Be Affected

Delhi government has called for an emergency meeting and will issue an advisory to deal with the soon situation after the meeting.

Delhi government called for an emergency meeting and issued an advisory. (File Photo/ AFP)

New Delhi: The skies over many parts of Gurugram turned dark on Saturday afternoon after swarms of locusts descended on the town and it is being expected that the migratory pests are likely to reach the national capital for now. As per reports, the dark cloud of locusts, spread across two kilometres, crossed the suburban city, touched the Delhi-Gurugram border. Swarms of locusts were seen in condominiums such as Beverly Park, Garden Estate and Heritage City as well as buildings in Sikanderpur in the high-rise town bordering Delhi. Reacting to the development, Delhi government called for an emergency meeting and issued an advisory to deal with the situation soon after the meeting. Development secretary, divisional commissioner, agriculture director and district magistrates also attended meeting. Administration of several districts of the national capital have issued red alert and people of South West district were trained to handle the situation a few days ago. The South West District Magistrate said that they were aware of a possible locust attack in the region for three days and have issued an alert in the local areas. South and West Delhi administrations asked to remain on high alert Meanwhile, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has asked the national capital’s south and west districts’ administrations to remain on high alert.  "After the emergency meeting, an advisory will be issued on steps to be taken to deal with the situation," Rai told new agency PTI. In the meeting Rai was also informed that a small swarm of locusts has also reached the Asola Bhatti area in South Delhi. The Agriculture Department has been asked to issue a detailed advisory to all district magistrates and sub-divisional magistrates to dead with the situation. As per reports, Delhi Air Traffic Control (ATC) directed pilots of all airlines to take necessary precautions during landing and take-off of aircraft in view of locust swarms seen near the airport in areas along Gurugram-Dwarka Expressway. A team has been set up to monitor the situation. In May, India battled a devastating desert locust outbreak. The crop-destroying swarms first attacked Rajasthan and then spread to Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Experts say that broadly four species of locusts are found in India – desert locust, migratory locust, Bombay locust and tree locust. The desert locust is considered the most destructive. This insect, a type of a grasshopper, can eat more than its body weight. A one square kilometre of locust swarm containing around 40 million locusts can in a day eat as much food as 35,000 people. Experts blame the growing menace of desert locusts on climate change. They say breeding of locusts is directly related to soil moisture and food availability.