Odisha on Tuesday put nine districts — mostly bordering Chhattisgarh — on high alert over locust attack.
Chairing a high-level meeting, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik directed district authorities to keep a close watch on locusts. The meeting resolved to spray insecticide using fire tenders to control locust infestation.
Both State and district-level control rooms have been set up for coordinated action to tackle the locust attack. More than 6.5 lakh farmers have been informed about locusts through 8 lakh personal messages sent by Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Department.
The districts which are likely to be affected by locusts include Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh and Bargarh.
According to information shared at the meeting, locusts have returned to Madhya Pradesh after covering a few areas in Chhattisgarh.
Senior officials and scientists attended the meeting.