Locusts attack crops in several Indian states: Why India’s locust problem is bigger this year

TOI, May 26, 2020, NEW DELHI: Crops and vegetation in several Indian states have been threatened by humongous swarms of desert locust known to be the most dangerous of the migratory pests in the world. They are known to devour everything in their path, posing an unprecedented threat to the food supply and livelihoods of millions of people.
Here are details of locusts attack ravaging India and several other parts of Asia and Africa —

• Desert Locusts are considered to be the most devastating migratory pests in the world. It is particularly characterised by its ability to breed rapidly. It typically moves in swarms, each of which can consist of an astonishing 150 million locusts per square kilometre.
• The desert locusts feed on any kind of green vegetation, including crops, pasture and fodder. A locust population spread across an area of one square kilometre can in a day ravage crop meant for over 35,000 people, according to UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation.
• Abnormally heavy rains last year, which scientists say were made more likely by the long-term warming of the Indian Ocean, a hallmark of climate change, have exacerbated a locust infestation across eastern Africa. Higher temperatures make it more inviting for locusts to spread to places where the climate wasn’t as suitable before — and in turn, destroy vast swaths of farmland and pastures for some of the poorest people on the planet, reported The New York Times.
• In February, the outbreak ravaged crop and pasture in the Greater Horn of Africa; damaging tens of thousands of hectares of cropland and pasture in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. This is the worst outbreak in over 25 years in Ethiopia and Somalia and the worst observed in over 70 years in Kenya, FAO reported.
• Last year, Pakistan suffered its worst attack of locusts since 1993, for which the country was largely unprepared. The locusts arrived in Pakistan from Iran in June 2019, devouring cotton, wheat and maize, among other crops. The invasion was initially expected to subside by mid-November. But it has persisted due to favourable weather conditions for continued locust breeding, linked to global warming.
• This month, the locusts moved across the Indian Ocean to attack crops and vegetations Southern Pakistan, Iran and several Indian states such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
• The locusts made their ways into India via Pakistan. Last week, locust swarms from Pakistan entered Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh.
• India has proposed to Pakistan and Iran for a coordinated approach in dealing with the alarming threat of fast-increasing desert locusts in the region.
• A Union environment ministry official said it was a very badly-timed "serious infestation" that has occurred when the country is already in the middle of a pandemic. Soumitra Dasgupta, inspector general, wildlife, ministry of environment said it is the desert locust which has attacked India in huge numbers and may lead to crop losses.
• In Rajasthan, sensing the scale of the problem, the Locust Warning Organisation has ordered drones for sprinkling chemicals in order to kill the locust. So far, the sprinkling was being done from fire brigade bus, tractors and gipsies.
• At least 10 districts in Uttar Pradesh that border Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have been put on alert after swarms of locusts attacked crops in the two states, an official said.
• Last week, the World Bank approved a record $500 million in grants and low-interest loans to help countries in Africa and the Middle East fight swarms of desert locusts that are eating their way across vast swaths of crops and rangelands.
• Four of the hardest-hit countries - Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda - will receive $160 million immediately.
• The World Bank estimates the Horn of Africa region could suffer up to $8.5 billion in damage to crop and livestock production by year-end without broad measures to reduce locust populations and prevent their spread. Even with the measures, losses could be as high as $2.5 billion.
• In Kenya, the locusts are eating in one day the amount of food consumed by all Kenyans in two days, Kray said.
  
  
  Locusts inflict damage by devouring leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, bark and growing plants, and also by breaking trees because of their weight when they settle down in masses. An adult desert locust can consume roughly its own weight in fresh food per day.
  
  
  “One sq km size swarm contains about 40 million locusts, which eat the same amount of food in one day as about 35,000 people, 20 camels or 6 elephants,” said the ministry’s note.
  
  
  Where: Currently, states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are facing widescale crop destruction due to an unusual locust attack. One swarm is possibly headed to Delhi. Originating in the Horn of Africa (see graphic), where excess rains triggered a breeding boom, the current swarm in India is believed to have had another round of breeding in Balochistan, Iran and Pakistan. (Note: Swarms can vary from less than 1 sq km to several hundred sq km. There can be at least 40 million and sometimes as many as 80 million locust adults in each sq km of swarm).
  Why: Under normal weather conditions, the locust swarms arrive in India in July following the monsoon winds, breed for one season and leave in October. But the monsoon in India had an extended spell in Rajasthan last year, till late November. Meaning, during its 90-day life span, the locusts got to breed in India thrice — in June, September and December — when moisture was available. It also meant they were 16,000 times in number than what could have been the normal.
  Plus, the country has received "excessive rain" this summer, 25% more than normal between March 1 and May 11. Add to this, heat waves were not building in Rajasthan (where the swarm attacked first). In fact, the state received rainfall due to Western disturbances. The exponential population growth last year has just aggravated the problem.
  What: The desert locust differs from grasshoppers in that they have the ability to change their behaviour and habits and can migrate over large distances. An adult can consume roughly its own weight in fresh food — about 2 gm — everyday. A very small part of an average swarm (or about 1 tonne of locusts) eats the same amount of food (all sorts of plants and standing crops) in one day as about 2,500 people. However, they do not attack people or animals or carry diseases that could harm humans.
  How: And state and federal agencies need to eliminate as much of these locusts as possible prior to the arrival of monsoon, the point when the swarms could go through another round of breeding and turn into a bigger threat, said the Locust Warning Organisation under the Union agriculture ministry. Meanwhile, a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report released last week confirmed that movement of locusts will continue, at least till early July. Read about FAO’s standard operating procedure to deal with locust menace here.