In a first drones used to drive away locusts in Rajasthan

Jaipur, May 28: The agriculture department in Rajasthan is to use a drone to clear locusts in the state.

This is for the first time that such an action has been taken. The tailor-made drones given by the Union Ministry of Agriculture was handed over to the state on Tuesday. The operation began at the Samod village in Chomu tehsil of Jaipur to clear large swarm of locusts.

The drones are designed to spray 10 litre of chemicals along with creating a sound that would dispense the locusts into different areas. It has successfully contained the movement of the locusts in open areas and on the foothills, where it was not possible for the usual tractors to reach.

Commissioner of the state agriculture department, Om Prakash said that a detailed assessment of the impact of the drones was being studied. This is a cost-effective measure. The spray tank attached to the drone gets exhausted within 10 minutes of its flight, following which it gets refilled by the handler through a tractor.

The biggest advantage is that it can fly above the flying zone of the locusts giving officials flexibility to carry out combat operation, while they are flying. Earlier the operations were restricted to when they were resting on a tree or on the crop, Prakash said.