BIKANER: The locals in Rajasthan's Bikaner city were seen clanging utensils and bursting crackers yesterday in an attempt to drive away the locusts.
Locust swarms had reached Chopra Bari Gangashankar Bikaner and Janta Pyau area.
Councillor Ram Dayal Pancharia said that seeing the swarm of locusts, people started making efforts to get rid off them by beating utensils and bursting firecrackers.
District Minister Shambhu Singh, Bhartiya Kisan Sangh, said, "The locust swarms are somewhere in the city every day, which is damaging the trees and plants. The administration should pay attention and control these locusts to protect the crops."
Locust swarms from Pakistan have entered Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh threatening major damage to standing cotton crops and vegetables, said a spokesperson of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Rajasthan is the most affected state, the spokesperson informed.
The desert locust is a species of locust, a swarming short-horned grasshopper. They are known to devour everything in their path, posing an unprecedented threat to food supply and livelihoods of millions of people.