BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Government on Tuesday put nine border districts on high alert in view of a possible locust attack as swarms have already been formed over Chhattisgarh. Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh and Bargarh districts have been identified as most vulnerable to the locusts invasion that could cause massive damage to paddy crops and vegetable plantations.
Agriculture department officials and farmers of all districts bordering Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand have been asked to be ready with plans and take precautions against the threat. Besides, the State Government is also working with neighbouring states to constantly monitor the movement of the swarms. Taking note of the impending danger, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday reviewed the preparedness at a high level meeting here.
It has been decided to keep a constant vigil on the situation for the next 10 days. Fire tenders will be used for spraying insecticide in farms and plantations, Special Secretary, Agriculture department, SK Vashist told mediapersons. Official sources, however, said though the swarms entered Chhattisgarh on Monday, they have not advanced further into the western districts of Odisha.
The locusts seem to be heading back towards Madhya Pradesh but the State Government has not ruled out the possibility of their ingress into Odisha. State and district-level control rooms have been set up to monitor the situation constantly.
The Chief Minister was apprised that at least 6.5 lakhs of farmers have been alerted of the possible locust attack through WhatsApp while another eight lakh cultivators are kept informed of the situation through SMS. The State Government has advised farmers not to panic and them to take precautions as recommended. The Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) has also issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) to deal with possible invasion of locusts.