Locust Attack: Swarming insects reach Andhra Pradesh's Anantapuram district

After causing havoc in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the menace of the migratory locusts hit Andhra Pradesh on Thursday, May 28. Swarms of locusts hit Dasappa Road, Rayadurga in Anantapuram district, destroying planted crops in farmlands.  

"This plant was good when I came to my shop in the morning. But now while returning home, I saw that the plant is leafless. And the plant next to it is full of locusts. I had seen locusts on TV. But they came to Rayadurga for the first time," Ramesh, a local shopkeeper, told a news agency.

READ | UP Launches Locust Control Operations In Vulnerable Areas

Locust, known as 'Tiddi Dal' in North India, is a type of grasshoppers that usually move in large numbers and devastate crops.

Earlier this year, several parts of Rajasthan had reported locust attacks. The Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare had warned of another attack in May-June this year.

Known to have travelled from the gulf, the huge swarms of locusts transit from Pakistan to India. The first locust attack of this year was reported from Ganganagar, a district in north Rajasthan bordering Pakistan on May 11.

READ | Locust Attack: Centre To Buy Sprayers From UK, Use Helicopters, Drones To Spray Pesticides

The Union Agriculture Ministry on Thursday said that 15 sprayers will be procured from the UK in a fortnight and plans are afoot to deploy drones and helicopters for the aerial spray of pesticides. Union Agricultural Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has said that control measures are in full swing and in close coordination with state agriculture departments, local administration and Border Security Force (BSF).

While the Uttar Pradesh government swung into action, spraying crops with various chemicals and insecticide in Jhansi and Sonbhadra districts, farmers in Uttar Pradesh have resorted to playing DJs and loud music to deal with locusts and minimize potential damage.

READ | Video: Farmers Use DJ And Loud Music To Scare Off Locusts In Uttar Pradesh

READ | Telangana Govt Taking Precautions To Avert Entry Of Locusts Into State: CM