Noida readies for ‘2nd’ locust attack

Noida: The swarm of locusts that invaded Noida and surrounding areas on Saturday was declared a “disaster” by the UP government. The swarm, however, crossed a few villages in Dankaur area and moved towards Bulandshahr.
Although there was no damage to crops, the Noida administration is preparing for another possible locust attack and has been tracing the movement of the pests. Officials said another swarm coming from Gurgaon and Faridabad might slow down near Mahmadpur Jatav village of Jewar. With 35-40 staffers on alert, the agriculture department has arranged for about 5,000 litres of chemical to be sprayed in this area.
“We have made arrangements and informed villagers. If the locusts stay in the fields anywhere near this area, we will be spraying the chemicals from midnight to 5am. A fire brigade vehicle has been deployed there and 31 sprayer-mounted tractors are ready with chemicals,” said A K Singh, chief development officer in Noida.
A task force has been set up under Singh to monitor the issue and the agriculture department will also be keeping its helpline number 0120- 2977986 active all day long over the next few days. Villagers have been told to get together and make noise using instruments, tin boxes and utensils to ward off the insects.
Singh added that people need not panic as the locusts would not be flying towards the city. Most of the group is expected to either cross over or stay around some villages on the outskirts of the district.
“Our staffers have been trained to handle the issue. Meanwhile, a WhatsApp group has also been formed with the villagers as members. We are regularly updating the situation on the group and informing farmers about what steps they should be taking,” district magistrate Suhas LY said.