Locust Swarms Enter Chhattisgarh: Odisha Govt Issues SOP to Deal with Impending Threat

Bhubaneswar: With the swarm of desert locusts spreading tentacles in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, the Odisha Government has taken precautionary measures to deal with the impending threat.

Even though there is no immediate threat to Odisha, the State Government has issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the farmers to tackle the situation in case of locust invasion.

Giving details about it after a crucial meeting the Krushi Bhawan on Monday, Director, Agriculture & Food Production, M Muthukumar said that the SOP urges the block and district level agriculture officers to conduct a detailed survey on the movement of the locust swarm and submit a report explaining the density of the locusts area-wise.

The State has also decided to form district-level monitoring committees to deal with the situation, Muthukumar said while adding that the District Agriculture Officers have been sensitized on the matter.
The movement of the locust swarm to Odisha primarily depends on the monsoon and the wind direction. Still, we are ready to counter the threat, he further said.

The nodal officers in all districts have been directed to keep a close watch on the movement of the locusts, he added.

Swarms of locusts have entered the forest area of Koriya district of Chhattisgarh from Madhya Pradesh.

The Chhattisgarh Government said that there was a small group of locusts that entered only around 300 metres inside the jurisdiction of the State.

Chhattisgarh authorities have intensified efforts to tackle the menace. The state authorities have already killed some of these short-horned grasshoppers by spraying pesticides, according to reports.