Panic as locusts attack Fazilka villages

Praful Chander Nagpal

Our Correspondent

Fazilka, February 3

Locust swarms attacked of Fazilka’s Roop Nagar and Bareka villages, a stone’s throw away from the International Border. Lakhs of locusts from Pakistan entered the Indian side and ate 10 per cent of standing sarson and taramira crop within a radius of 3 km, said Zila Parishad member Sidharth Rinwa.

Hardip Dhaka, the sarpanch of Khanpur village, said after pesticides were sprayed by farmers and Agriculture Department officials, the locusts began moving towards Sivana, Muradwala, Chananwala, Khanpur and Nejeke villages, causing further scare.

Experts say during the day locusts fly in the sky but as temperatures drop after dusk, these insects sit on trees and standing crops, causing damage. Surinder Kumar of Bareka village demanded that the Agriculture Department provided insecticides to farmers to tackle the attack.

Manjit Singh, Chief Agriculture Officer, Fazilka, said a team led by the Director, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department, Sutantar Kumar Airi, had rushed to the affected site. Three fire tenders had been pressed into service to spray pesticides. “During the night-long operation, department officials killed or chased away the locusts,” the officer said, ruling out loss to standing crops. He appealed to the farmers not to panic as the department was equipped to repel any such attack.

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Photo

Fire Brigade personnel spray insecticide in Roop Nagar village of Fazilka. Tribune photo

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Locusts on trees and dead locusts on way to Nezeke border outpost in Fazilka sector. Tribune photo

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