desert locust attack

East Africa is the epicenter of the locust crisis—with Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda among the affected countries. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by … [52], As of April 2020 Ethiopia was using five planes and Kenya six planes for spraying and four planes for surveying. But the Kenyan government says it needs 20 planes for spraying - and a continuous supply of the pesticide Fenitrothion. Subsequently, there has been arrival of swarms from the main spring-breeding areas. As of October 2020, only Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Yemen harbour significant swarms of gregarious locusts, with the remainder of the population situated in isolated pockets in Kenya, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia. The main locust breeding areas in the Horn of Africa, Yemen, Oman, Southern Iran and Pakistan’s Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces recorded widespread rains in March-April. Once they start breeding, the swarm movement will cease or slow. In Amhara, some farms have registered nearly 100 percent loss of teff, a staple crop in Ethiopia. [18] Rising sea surface temperatures (cf. So, let’s get into the topic to have complete knowledge about the current Locust situation. So, they are more likely to breed in Rajasthan than in the Indo-Gangetic plains or Godavari and Cauvery delta. A number of timely measures and a change in wind direction have prevented a spread and large-scale damage to the rapeseed and cumin seed crops, the officials said. There are two permanent homes of the desert locust in India’s extended western neighborhood—around the Red Sea coast and along the Pakistan-Iran border. They have so far tried a lot to control the locusts. The supercomputer, funded by £35m of UK aid as part of its Weather and Climate Information Services for Africa programme, has successfully forecast the movement of locusts using data such as wind speed and direction, temperature, and humidity. The desert locust is one of the 12 species of short-horned grasshoppers. [44][45] On 27 June 2020, millions of locusts swarmed on a massive scale in Gurgaon, Delhi-NCR region, made look like a sand storm in the sky. According to the Agriculture Ministry officials, the relatively few locusts reaching Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa are “leftovers” from the “massive invasion” in the eastern and southern parts of the country. These areas could become sources of new swarms if not sprayed and create an upsurge. The locusts also are heading towards Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous country, in that nation's worst outbreak in 25 years. Since June 2019, the locust outbreak has been impacting eastern Pakistan. Watch: Desert locust swarm attacks Gurugram. Locust swarms have infested 23 countries as of April 2020. During the past few weeks, major locust attacks have been observed in several countries in western and southern Asia and in eastern Africa. Control operations were then undertaken in the summer breeding areas along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border (May–February), Ethiopia (August onwards) and Yemen (July onwards). Keith Cressman, senior locust forecasting officer with the Food and Agriculture Organization said, he thinks, "we can assume there will be more locust outbreaks and upsurges in the Horn of Africa.”[19][20] The situation was fueled by unusually heavy rains,[8] causing a big concern in the Horn of Africa, where more than 24 million people are food insecure and 12 million people are internally displaced. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. The desert locust infestation in Ethiopia has deteriorated, despite ongoing ground and aerial control operations. Swarms of the locusts were reported to have entered Nepal in late June, with damage to crops in Parbat Mahashila. FAO warns of second wave of Desert locust attack in Kenya Ethiopia steps up aerial spraying to stop new desert locust invasion Panic buying, … [7], Around 2.25m ha land has already been affected as of April 2020. (REUTERS) Locust attack: 'They damage anything that comes in their way' 3 min read. [50], FAO said containing the plague will cost at least $138 million. Locust swarms have infested 23 countries as of April 2020. [46], On 17 June 2020, a swarm reached Argentina from Paraguay, reaching the Corrientes Province and by 22 June, it was making its way into the Entre Ríos Province, destroying corn and cassava crops along the way,[47] and the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. These areas should get rains that will produce enough green vegetation to enable both egg laying and hopper development. They extended to Egypt and Saudi Arabia in January where they continued for several months before a further extension to spring breeding areas in Saudi Arabia (February–June), Iran (February–July) and Pakistan (March–July). Some 45 million sq km of land in 90 countries are potentially prone or under the threat of invasion by the desert locust, according to the FAO. In Gujarat, locust attacks in December(2019) damaged crops, mainly rapeseed and cumin seed, planted on about 17,000 hectares. The danger would be when the swarms that have already or are about to come will start breeding. However, the locusts have traveled far, wiping out crops in Pakistan and damaging farms in Yemen, a fragile country already hit hard by years of conflict. The above large-scale breeding and swarm formation, however, takes place only when conditions turn very favourable in their natural habitat, i.e. If their growth is coterminous with that of the kharif crop, we could well have a situation similar to what maize, sorghum and wheat farmers of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia experienced in March-April. Swarms of desert locusts attacked Gurugram on Saturday even as the administration had warned of it on Friday.The residents were taken aback as the swarm descended over the city. [49], The Chinese government announced in February it was sending a team of experts to neighbouring Pakistan to develop "targeted programmes" against the locusts and deploy 100,000 ducks. If left unchecked, the number of locusts could grow by 500 times by June 2020, when drier weather will help bring the outbreak under control. The districts adversely affected by the large scale coordinated attacks by locusts include Sri Ganganagar, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Churu and Nagaur. Failure means more hunger in a region already battered by conflict and climate shocks. Spraying is being conducted around the city to stop the outbreak from spreading elsewhere. India is facing the worst Desert locust attack in decades.  Express Explained is now on Telegram. Some countries like UAE and Iraq have seen small hopper groups but the situation is under control in these regions.[36]. Kenya has trained more than 240 personnel from affected counties in monitoring of locust swarms. Explained: How can Punjab achieve crop diversification? To help prevent and control outbreaks, authorities analyze satellite images, stockpile pesticides and conduct aerial spraying. Locust threat forces farmers in Thar desert to keep land fallow Good rainfall has turned the desert in Pakistan green, but a new generation of locusts has robbed farmers of joy. Locusts swarms can travel up to 130 km in a day and each locust can consume about two grams of fresh vegetation i.e. About 2.25 Mha had been treated by February 2020. Locusts have reached the villages of Barkheda Gurjar, Arnia Borana, Sakrani Jagir, Dhaokkheda, Kuchadoud in Jeeran Tehsil. 500,000 hectares-huge crop fields have been destroyed in Rajasthan alone, mainly in … In May 2018, Cyclone Mekunu turned parts of the arid Rub' al-Khali desert — that sprawls over Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen — into a watery landscape. Swarm of locusts in a field in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh, on May 27. One reason for the swarms migrating eastwards – normally they are seen in India only after July post the monsoon’s arrival, while confining themselves mostly to the desert areas of West Rajasthan where they breed and exist as solitary insects or in isolated groups – has been their search for food. The Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (the DLCO-EA which Burundi is not member to) noted the necessity for urgent and decisive action from all partners, as well as the resources to support large-scale ground surveys, aerial spraying services, provision of chemicals, information dissemination, and further capacity building for control operations. 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Cyclones in May and October 2018 brought heavy rains that gave rise to favourable breeding conditions in the Empty Quarter of the southern Arabian Peninsula for at least nine months since June. While locust swarms continue to threaten countries around the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as their immediate neighbours, they are not expected to return to countries east of the Arabian Peninsula, nor to those west of Sudan. Climate change may be to blame", "Locust crisis poses a danger to millions, forecasters warn", "Tropical Storm Update! The swarms in India came from Iran and Pakistan, but the situation has been brought under control with the help of pesticides and specialist equipment. Moreover, eggs are hatching profusely and forming hopper bands in the Somali region, due to the heavy rainfall. (Photo: PTI) As their name suggests, desert locusts normally live and breed in semi-arid/desert regions. [53], Ongoing locust infestation in East Africa, Arabian peninsula and Indian subcontinent. Desert locusts can have about 40 million to 80 million ... in Pakistan have damaged crops including wheat and cotton and the country declared a national emergency to combat the locust attack … [22], However, low levels of rainfall in May, in conjunction with both new and continued ground and aerial pest control initiatives, led to the locust population, which had been stagnant over the preceding two months, declining, with reduced average swarm sizes and a less widespread distribution of locusts, which were, by then, primarily resident in the north-western counties of Turkana and Marsabit. In early March this year, Kenya experienced the worst locust attack in 7 years; herds were devastated and crops destroyed across the country. [31], In swarms the size of major cities, the locusts also have affected various parts of Eritrea. Researchers are now inputting data on soil moisture and vegetation cover to help predict where eggs have been laid and are likely to hatch and thrive. [12][16][17], In January 2020, the outbreak was affecting Ethiopia, Kenya, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, and Burundi. [21], On 28 December 2019, several large, immature swarms were first reported to have crossed into Kenya from Somalia, entering through the towns of Mandera and El Wak. In January 2019 one of the first swarms reached Yemen and it became one of the first breeding grounds for the desert locusts and caused them to spread more. [35] In Djibouti, it is estimated that over 1,700 agropastoral farms across the country and nearly 50,000 hectares of pastureland have been destroyed by the swarms.[21]. 110 000 households have been targeted for rapid livelihoods protection in seven of the eight countries[48] During this century, Desert Locust plagues occurred in 1926-1934, 1940-1948, 1949-1963, 1967-1969 and 1986-1989. A desert locust is seen feeding on a plantation. With no crops in fields now, they have ended up invading green spaces, including parks, in Jaipur and orange orchards near Nagpur. And these swarms have come not only to western Rajasthan, but also moved to the eastern parts of the state and even Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The current attack of locust swarms is connected with the rise in frequency of cyclones in the otherwise-placid Arabian Sea. For laying eggs, they require bare ground, which is rarely found in areas with dense vegetation. The hopper bands and immature adult groups resulting from this large-scale breeding – itself a product of unusually heavy rains – are the ones that started arriving in Rajasthan during the first fortnight of April. When a locust swarm lands, they can cause crop losses of between 80 to 100 percent. [51], In the winter breeding areas, control operations started in December 2018 in Eritrea and, to a lesser extent, in Sudan. Updated: 27 May 2020, 02:38 PM IST Nitin Sreedhar. So far, the swarms haven’t caused much damage, since the rabi crop has already been harvested and farmers are yet to start kharif sowings. The UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have both stated that the phenomenally heavy rains have contributed to not only the devastating 2019 Burundi landslides, but also a "serious and widespread desert locust outbreak". The military and general public have been deployed to combat the crisis according to Eritrea's Agricultural Ministry. They attacked the trees when they couldn't find the crop patches. As vegetation dries out, locusts concentrate in green vegetation to … [34], They are now heading toward Uganda and fragile South Sudan, where almost half the country faces hunger as it emerges from civil war. India has been able to bring swarms of desert locusts under control in two key oilseed producing states.[42][43]. He said emergence of new challenges like climate change, COVID 19, Pollution and locust.Locust insect need timely and collectively response. 1 million ha of land has been targeted for rapid locust surveillance and control in the eight East African countries. Explore more on Locusts Attack. The hopper bands (young locust populations moving together) have covered nearly 430 square kilometres and have consumed about 1.3 million metric tonnes of vegetation over a two-month period. Also, the breeding will happen mainly in Rajasthan. Some residents were surprised to find the locusts inside their living rooms. What impact does NZ's series win against Pakistan have on WTC table? As their name suggests, desert locusts normally live and breed in semi-arid/desert regions. Locust attacks are known to cause a considerable drop in agricultural output. Three villages in Gujarat's Banaskantha district, which shares a border with Pakistan's desert areas, came under fresh locust attacks in January (2020). It’s trending on social media, NEWS everywhere. [2] The plague began in June 2019 and continued into 2020, although locust swarms have experienced steady declines in population and geographical reach from May to October, and are, as of November 2020, primarily found in the Horn of Africa and Yemen. “Desert locusts are known to attack farmers’ fields and can eat their crops in a single morning,” warned Cressman. As we know attack of locust swarm has been started in Sindh Province. About 70,000 hectares (172,973 acres) of land in Kenya alone are already infested. The control operations have been less successful in Yemen and Iran.[41]. Click here to join our channel (@ieexplained) and stay updated with the latest. It poses a serious threat to India's food security in the recent future. equivalent to its own weight. A typical locust swarm can vary from less than one square kilometre to several hundred square kilometres. Also Read | Locust attack tracker: Where the hoppers are headed and how states are battling the plague. Remember, these insects need to munch enough – roughly their own weight in fresh food every day – before being ready for mating. [33], They are also now heading towards South Sudan, where almost half the country faces hunger as it emerges from civil war. [30] 20.2 million people facing severe acute food insecurity in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. In India, locusts attacks emanating from the desert area in Pakistan have struck parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat, causing heavy damage to standing crop. The outbreak is the worst in 70 years in Kenya and the worst in 25 years in Ethiopia, Somalia and India. “Effective control is estimated to be around $60m (£47m) but, if an upsurge occurs, the cost will soar to $500m.”[49], WFP estimates that long-term response and recovery costs could top US$1billion if swarm growth is not controlled. How long does a Desert Locust live? The United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organisation has further said that “several successive waves of invasions can be expected until July in Rajasthan with eastward surges across northern India as far as Bihar and Orissa”. These events triggered yet another spurt of reproductive activity. [24] Millions of people in this country already cope with the constant risk of drought or flooding,[33]. The infestation "presents an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods in the Horn of Africa," according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). A Desert Locust lives a total of about three to five months although this is extremely variable and depends mostly on weather and ecological conditions. Aerial and ground spraying combined with constant tracking of the swarms are viewed as the most effective strategies. East Africa is the epicenter of the locust crisis—with Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda among the affected countries. [14] This shift has resulted in increased cyclone activity over the last decade in the Persian Gulf, previously home to very few cyclones, and is associated with flooding in countries along the western Indian Ocean, dry weather in the east, and bushfires in Australia.[15]. And in eastern Africa [ 52 ], as of April 2020 their desert locust attack. Seen small hopper groups but the travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic hindered! Our channel ( @ ieexplained ) and stay updated with the latest headlines being around... 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