KATHMANDU, July 12: A swarm of locusts from India has entered Nepal yet again on Sunday.
According to the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Centre (PQPMC), a swarm of locusts that were in Sitapur, Bahraich area in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh had entered Gadhawa Rural Municipality ward number 2 and 3 of Dang district at 9:30 AM.
The swarm was later spotted in Lalmatiya area of Rapti Municipality and the locals did not let the swarm stay there. “It has been reported that the swarm headed northeast after the distractions were created by the locals,” the locust advisory stated.
Authorities warn another locust swarm may enter Nepal
The centre has warned stakeholders to stay prepared and adopt all precautionary measures to combat the attack as there are probabilities of the swarm entering districts like Pyuthan, Arghakhanchi and other districts and damaging crops there. As there are chances of more locusts entering Nepal, the centre has requested Province 1, Province 2 and Province 5 along with mid-hilly areas to take measure precautions.
The locusts had been ravaging crops around the fields of India. Locusts are known for devouring a huge amount of crops within a short span of time.
The swarm trajectory prediction had shown that another swarm might enter Nepal from India.
The swarms of locusts that had entered Nepal earlier on June 27 had damaged crops in districts like Makwanpur, Dang, Pyuthan, Arghakhanchi and Palpa. The authorities had reported that little damage was done to the crops in Nepal as the swarm was scattered.
Although eight million locusts had entered Nepal and were spotted in many districts of Nepal, the centre reported that their mobility was affected due to rainfall across the nation. According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the country will witness thundering, light and moderate rainfall across the country in the next few days.
