Jaipur Admin Use Drones To Kill Swarms Of Locusts In Saturday Midnight Operation

Locust swarms have changed their usual strategy of flying in low lying areas and seem to be flying at a great height which is why Rajasthan is using drones and planes to attack these swarms.

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Second time in a week, Jaipur officials used drones to spray pesticides and kill swarms of locusts settled in three villages of Viratnagar in Rajasthan. In an operation carried on Saturday night and Sunday morning, officials surveyed the area and found the pest present on 230 hectares. According to the reports, the area in Viratnagar district of Jaipur where the deserted pests settled was hilly and inaccessible for tractor-mounted sprayers. That is why, the authorities decided to use drones to spray the chemicals on the crops. A leading daily Hindustan Times quoted BR Karwa, the deputy director of agriculture department in Jaipur, who said that “We got information about a 3km-by-1km swarm in three villages of Viratnagar on Saturday. We surveyed the area and found the pest present on 230 hectares but the area was difficult to access so we decided to use drone." Earlier this week, BR Karwa who is the project director Agricultural Technology Management Agency said, "As there are no standing crops in the fields, there is no loss in this season. However, we are adopting newer measures to check any loss in the coming seasons." Locusts swarms are swooping over many places in North India and is making authorities use different methods to combat them. Locust swarms have changed their usual strategy of flying in low lying areas and seem to be flying at a great height which is why Rajasthan is using drones and planes to attack these swarms. Moreover, the Rajasthan government is considering issuing tenders for drones that can be used in countering the locust menace said an ANI report.

The Agricultural department blames neighbouring countries Pakistan and Afghanistan as these swarms were breeding in those areas and they haven’t done anything to control these pests. Usually, the breeding centres are in Africa and hence they’d take time to reach India.