Locusts move near Rajasthan-UP border

Swarms of locust have moved towards Karauli district and other areas near the Uttar Pradesh border in Rajasthan on Tuesday after the locust-control teams conducted operations in Dausa. "Operations were conducted at two places in Dausa district on Monday night by spraying pesticide. Remaining swarms moved towards Karauli and other nearby areas today," Om Prakash, commissioner of the Agriculture Department, said.

Prakash said Jaipur and Dausa had been cleared of the swarms. The locusts can travel up to 150 km a day with a speed of 15-20 kmph. They are targeting trees and other available vegetation since there is no standing crop in the fields, according to the officer.

Non-availability of standing crops is also a main reason why the swarms have traveled to such distance from Pakistan. The swarms entered some residential area of Jaipur and settled on trees and walls. After a few hours, the swarms moved towards Dausa on Sunday.