New Delhi on Red Alert After Desert Locusts Swarm Through Neighboring Gurgaon City

• The recent swarm of desert locusts in Gurgaon sent the local government of New Delhi on high alert.
• Officials say they plan to disperse staff to teach people how to drive the locusts away.
• Some people think this is a sign that the world is ending, as stated in the Bible.

With the sequence of horrifying events worldwide, the recent locust plague in Gurgaon City has sent the local government of the neighboring New Delhi City on high alert as advised by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Atul Kapur, a 56-year-old businessman and a resident of Gurgaon City, said that a swarm of desert locusts called tiddi came and clouded the sky before settling down on terraces and roofs. Eventually, the locusts were swept away by the wind.  

Gopal Rai, the city’s Labor and Development Minister, said that the city advised all district magistrates “to remain on high alert” while the government made efforts to contain the migratory pests. Local officials also added that more staff would be deployed to teach the residents how to disperse the locusts.

According to the advisory, the local government plans to set off some firecrackers, “making high decibel sound through beating of drum [or] utensil, playing high volume music on music system.” 

Search for food and breeding grounds

In the last few weeks, locusts have been invading cities in Iran and Pakistan before it crossed over to India. Reports say that these migratory pests had destroyed crops. With the upcoming monsoon season, locals fear that it will be a favorable breeding ground and the pests will multiply even more.

United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a warning to the Indian government about an invasion of spring-bred adult groups of desert locusts since they keep appearing in the Indo-Pakistan border.