IAF chopper joins locust control operations in Rajasthan

A Mi-17 helicopter of the Indian Air Force on Sunday sprayed pesticides over large swathes of desert land in Rajasthan, boosting locust control operations as India battles its worst-ever attack of the marauding pests in three decades.

A private helicopter, hired by the Agriculture Ministry, had started locust control operations on Saturday carrying out its first sortie in the desert areas of Banda in Jaisalmer.

The IAF chopper carried out aerial spraying of pesticides in Jodhpur district on Sunday, the first such instance in the history of the air force, an agriculture ministry official said.

India is facing the worst-ever locust attacks in three decades. Swarms of the marauding pests have been witnessed in various districts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

As per the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, locust swarms that have traveled as far as Nepal are expected to return to Rajasthan and join other swarms coming in from Pakistan and Iran for the breeding season this month.

The first generation summer swarms are expected to form mid-August, which will make control operations all the more important.

Light to moderate rainfall in the desert areas of Rajasthan has led to favourable conditions for breeding of locusts which travel to India from as far as Somalia, Yemen and Oman traversing the Arabian Sea aided by monsoon winds.

Locust swarms had descended in the desert areas of Rajasthan in April this year spread Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, prompting the government to launch massive control operations.

However, as the locust attack happened after the rabi harvest, there was no loss to crops.

Presently, 60 control teams with spray vehicles and drones were carrying out control operations, chasing the locust swarms across the affected states.