Delhi govt calls emergency meeting after locust swarms seen in Gurugram

Development secretary, divisional commissioner, agriculture director and district magistrates will also attend the meeting, according to news agency ANI.

The Delhi government called an emergency meeting on Saturday after swarms of locusts were seen in several areas in nearby Gurugram, environment minister Gopal Rai said.

The Gurugram district administration had on Friday issued a warning about a likely invasion by swarms of locusts (HT Photo/Parveen Kumar)

News agency PTI cited Gopal Rai as saying that the Delhi government will issue an advisory to deal with the situation after the meeting.

Development secretary, divisional commissioner, agriculture director and district magistrates will also attend the meeting, according to news agency ANI.

Also Watch: Locust swarms spotted in several areas of Gurugram

Several residents of Gurugram posted videos of the invading insects flying on social media as some clanged kitchen utensils and played loud music to repel the swarms of locusts.

The Gurugram district administration had on Friday issued a warning about a likely invasion by swarms of locusts and asked residents to play loud music and beat utensils to repel the insects that feed on standing crops and green vegetables.

The short-horned grasshoppers are known to devour everything in their path, posing an unprecedented threat to food supply and livelihoods of millions of people.

An adult locust can eat quantity equal to its weight daily, and just a single square kilometre of the swarm can contain up to 80 million adults.

Locusts can fly up to 150km daily and a one square km swarm can eat as much food as 35,000 people in terms of weight in a single day.