Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 27
Like Cyclone Amphan, the "worst locust outbreak seen in a quarter of a century" in India is yet another example of global warming, say agricultural and environmental experts while slamming the government for its unpreparedness and slow response to the situation, despite a timely warning by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
Wind change today may bring relief
A change in wind direction from northwesterly to southeasterly on Thursday , which is expected to bring some relief from heat, may also change the direction of swarms. The locust could turn back with the change in wind direction.
After damaging crops in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, swarms of locusts entered Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi district on Wednesday and could head towards Maharashtra. Punjab has also been put on alert.
"Climate change is facilitating breeding and movement of locusts. Untimely rains and increased cyclonic activity have helped them breed faster. A locust attack never occurred in December but there was one in 2019," says agricultural expert Devinder Sharma.
Timely spraying could have helped in Rajasthan
There are hundreds of kilometres of desert, arid and semi-arid land the swarms crossed before coming into fields of Rajasthan. Timely aerial spraying could have helped.
Environmentalist Soumya Dutta says the "extremely severe cyclone" Amphan and the "biggest in a quarter century locust swarm threatening Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and MP" are some of the climate change-driven disasters. "Even though the UN had forewarned, preparations by India fell short," adds Dutta.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/3cfGsRy
No comments:
Post a Comment