Locust swarm was noticed in Jhunjhunu (Rajasthan) in the morning of 26^th June 2020 and control teams were deployed to eliminate the locusts. The leftover locusts regrouped and reached Rewari in Haryana yesterday evening where control operations were undertaken from yesterday till early today morning. The leftover locusts again regrouped and the swarm divided into three groups, one of which moved towards Gurugram, and from there to Faridabad and onwards to Uttar Pradesh. Another locust swarm moved towards Dwarka in Delhi, from there to Daulatabad, Gurugram, Faridabad and this swarm has also entered U.P. The third group was seen in Palwal (Haryana) and has also moved towards U.P. As of now, no locust swarms are spotted in any city areas.

According to information given by the Ministry of Agriculture, all the groups of locust swarms are being tracked by teams of the State Agriculture Departments of Rajasthan, Haryana and U.P., local administrations and officials of the Central Locust Warning Organization, and control operations are underway. More control teams from Rajasthan have been moved to Haryana and U.P. to help in the locust control operations being carried out in these two states.

The locusts keep flying during day time and settle down only after dark in the evening. Ground control teams are constantly tracking them and will undertake major control operations once they settle down. Control teams in U.P. have been alerted for this.

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APS/SG