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India-Locust/Damage
Rajasthan State, India - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Crop fields
2. Various of dead locusts in fields
3. SOUNDBITE (Hindu) Hari Ram, local farmer:
"The anise field of my family could have harvested 2,000 kilograms of aniseed this year, but the harvest was totally ruined by the locusts, costing me 300,000 to 400,000 rupees (about 5,588 U.S. dollars). After the locusts swarmed, you see, it has become a wasteland."
4. Various of dead locusts on ground, in hand
5. Building of Locust Control Organization
6. Sign reading Locust Control Organization
7. Various of posters of locusts
8. SOUNDBITE (Hindu) Gopa Parihar, locust control officer, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Jodhpur of Rajasthan State:
"We used multiple effective insecticides including Malathion. The farmers also made noises by knocking on pots to drive away locusts from the fields. From the videos we took, we can see the locusts were killed quickly."
9. Various of crop fields
The Indian government has said it has gained control of the swarms of desert locusts that have encroached upon the western region of the country after the insects invaded from Pakistan, ravaging crops and causing immense damage to the agricultural industry.
The swarms of locusts started gathering in early January, and according to farmers, the clouds of locusts ravaged everything and left nothing in the field.
At present, however, it is unlikely to see any locusts buzzing around the state of Rajasthan, the worst hit region in India, instead, farmers are confronted with dealing with numerous dead locusts coating the ground.
"The anise field of my family could have harvested 2,000 kilograms of aniseed this year, but the harvest was totally ruined by the locusts, costing me 300,000 to 400,000 rupees (about 5,588 U.S. dollars). After the locusts swarmed, you see, it has become a wasteland," said Hari Ram, a local farmer.
The locust swarms this time lasted for about a month, and control operations were carried out in a timely manner to prevent the spread, however, the insects still caused large-scale damage to crops in western India, according to local villagers.
According to officials with the Indian agricultural department, they were aware of the potential for an invasion since swarms of locusts hit the country every 26 years. The government of India deployed teams to control the locust swarms by spraying an insecticidal chemical in more than 10 districts predicted to be hit the hardest in western India since last May.
The results of these preventative measures were very effective as personnel worked in the early morning hours to kill the locusts while the insects stayed put in the trees.
"We used multiple effective insecticides including Malathion. The farmers also made noises by knocking on pots to drive away locusts from the fields. From the videos we took, we can see the locusts were killed quickly," said Gopa Parihar, a locust control officer at the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Jodhpur of Rajasthan State.
Unfortunately, a total of 350,000 hectares of fields in west India were still destroyed by the swarms due to their extremely destructive force.
Some Indian experts have pointed out that the locusts flight path took it from East Africa all the way to the Middle East, then through Pakistan and finally to the arid regions of western India. Based on past locust disasters in the region, the swarms are unlikely to fly any further east to spread across the rest of India or put neighboring countries in danger.
The United Nations (UN) Humanitarian office in Geneva estimates that a small swarm of locusts can consume the amount of food 35,000 people eat per day.
According to experts, the average length of desert locusts is about 7 to 10 centimeters, and they have a strong flight ability, mobility, and reproduction ability. This species in particular can breed another generation in 30 days and multiply 20 times in three months.
Temperatures of 25 to 30 degrees Celsius and high humidity is a favorable environment for them, and as the monsoon creeps up on India, another round of invasions is expected.
India-Locust/Damage
Dateline : Recent
Location : India
Duration : 2'06
Rajasthan State, India - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Crop fields
2. Various of dead locusts in fields
3. SOUNDBITE (Hindu) Hari Ram, local farmer:
"The anise field of my family could have harvested 2,000 kilograms of aniseed this year, but the harvest was totally ruined by the locusts, costing me 300,000 to 400,000 rupees (about 5,588 U.S. dollars). After the locusts swarmed, you see, it has become a wasteland."
4. Various of dead locusts on ground, in hand
5. Building of Locust Control Organization
6. Sign reading Locust Control Organization
7. Various of posters of locusts
8. SOUNDBITE (Hindu) Gopa Parihar, locust control officer, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Jodhpur of Rajasthan State:
"We used multiple effective insecticides including Malathion. The farmers also made noises by knocking on pots to drive away locusts from the fields. From the videos we took, we can see the locusts were killed quickly."
9. Various of crop fields
The Indian government has said it has gained control of the swarms of desert locusts that have encroached upon the western region of the country after the insects invaded from Pakistan, ravaging crops and causing immense damage to the agricultural industry.
The swarms of locusts started gathering in early January, and according to farmers, the clouds of locusts ravaged everything and left nothing in the field.
At present, however, it is unlikely to see any locusts buzzing around the state of Rajasthan, the worst hit region in India, instead, farmers are confronted with dealing with numerous dead locusts coating the ground.
"The anise field of my family could have harvested 2,000 kilograms of aniseed this year, but the harvest was totally ruined by the locusts, costing me 300,000 to 400,000 rupees (about 5,588 U.S. dollars). After the locusts swarmed, you see, it has become a wasteland," said Hari Ram, a local farmer.
The locust swarms this time lasted for about a month, and control operations were carried out in a timely manner to prevent the spread, however, the insects still caused large-scale damage to crops in western India, according to local villagers.
According to officials with the Indian agricultural department, they were aware of the potential for an invasion since swarms of locusts hit the country every 26 years. The government of India deployed teams to control the locust swarms by spraying an insecticidal chemical in more than 10 districts predicted to be hit the hardest in western India since last May.
The results of these preventative measures were very effective as personnel worked in the early morning hours to kill the locusts while the insects stayed put in the trees.
"We used multiple effective insecticides including Malathion. The farmers also made noises by knocking on pots to drive away locusts from the fields. From the videos we took, we can see the locusts were killed quickly," said Gopa Parihar, a locust control officer at the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Jodhpur of Rajasthan State.
Unfortunately, a total of 350,000 hectares of fields in west India were still destroyed by the swarms due to their extremely destructive force.
Some Indian experts have pointed out that the locusts flight path took it from East Africa all the way to the Middle East, then through Pakistan and finally to the arid regions of western India. Based on past locust disasters in the region, the swarms are unlikely to fly any further east to spread across the rest of India or put neighboring countries in danger.
The United Nations (UN) Humanitarian office in Geneva estimates that a small swarm of locusts can consume the amount of food 35,000 people eat per day.
According to experts, the average length of desert locusts is about 7 to 10 centimeters, and they have a strong flight ability, mobility, and reproduction ability. This species in particular can breed another generation in 30 days and multiply 20 times in three months.
Temperatures of 25 to 30 degrees Celsius and high humidity is a favorable environment for them, and as the monsoon creeps up on India, another round of invasions is expected.
ID : 8135626
Published : 2020-02-19 11:23
Last Modified : 2020-02-20 17:52:00
Source : China Central Television (CCTV)
Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
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