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By Shakoor Rather New Delhi, Feb 6 () The recent locust outbreak along the India-Pakistan border may have been driven by the longer-than-usual monsoon rains across the region, and frequent cyclones in the Indian Ocean, scientists say. In India, the outbreak -- the biggest in 26 years -- began late last year in Gujarat and Rajasthan states, and recently Punjab was also affected. In Pakistan, the government declared national emergency last week to eliminate the attacking swarms of desert locusts, which were destroying crops on a large scale in the country's Punjab province. "The current locust outbreak is the biggest in 25 years in Ethiopia and Somalia, 26 years in India, 70 years in Kenya," Keith Cressman, locust forecasting officer at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) told . "The outbreak started after heavy amounts of rains over east Africa and the Arabian Peninsula," Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune added. According to the FAO, locusts are the oldest migratory pests in the world. These insects differ from ordinary grasshoppers in their ability to change behaviour, and form swarms that can migrate over large distances. The most devastating of all locust species is the Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria), according to FAO. The locusts, which are considered to be among the most dangerous pests known to humanity, reproduce fast -- 20-fold within three months, the FAO experts noted. An adult locust can eat quantity equal to its weight daily, and just a single square kilometer of swarm can contain up to 80 million adults, they said. Koll noted the heavy rains which drove the locust outbreak occurred due to intense storm activity sourced from the Arabian Sea during the last two seasons. "Heavy rain triggers growth of vegetation in arid areas where desert locusts can then grow and breed," he said. Koll explained that recently climate change accentuated the phenomenon called the "Indian Ocean Dipole", with warmer than usual waters to its west, and cooler waters to its east. "On top of that, the rising temperatures due to global warming made the Western Indian Ocean particularly warm," he said. Cressman added that the current locust invasion in India by an unprecedented number of swarms originated in southern Iran from their breeding in spring last year. "Summer breeding along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border was much higher than normal due to the swarm invasion and the monsoon rains lasting one month longer than normal, allowing up to three generations of breeding," Cressman said. The outbreak originated from two cyclones (May and Oct 2018) that allowed three generations of breeding - from June 2018 to March 2019 -- in the Arabian Peninsula, and caused an 8,000-fold increase in locust numbers, he added. According to Cressman, this was followed by further breeding after unusually heavy rains in Iran and Yemen, and finally another cyclone in the Horn of Africa in early December 2019. "Generally enhanced convection (cloud formation and rains) and cyclone activity follows the warm waters as they derive the energy and moisture from the ocean," Koll explained. As a result, he said, regions surrounding the warm western Indian Ocean -- such as East Africa, Arabian Peninsula and Indian subcontinent received a lot of rains during the last two seasons. "Along with that, the cyclone activity over the west Indian Ocean was also exceptional -- we saw the largest number, and the strongest cyclones this year -- releasing more rains. This might have triggered the locust outbreak," he said. India has not witnessed any full-blown locust cycles after 1962, however, they experts said, large-scale upsurges were observed during 1978 and 1993. Globally, Cressman said, the current generation of swarms formed shortly after last season's crops were harvested, but there has been considerable damage to pastures -- a primary livelihood in the Horn of Africa. "It is not only warm temperatures that favour locusts but also rainfall. The latter is not expected to occur is sufficient quantities until the start of the summer monsoon in Rajasthan which is usually in July, therefore, breeding now is not very likely in India," he said. "Climate models do show that the number and intensity of Indian Ocean Dipole events -- like the one we saw in 2019 -- are going to increase further in the future," Koll added. SAR VIS AKJ SARSAR

Prolonged monsoon in Indo-Pak region drove recent locust outbreak: Scientists

<ul><li>Vector-borne diseases — including malaria, dengue and chikungunya — cost India nearly $3 billion to $4 billion every year.</li><li>The impact of such diseases could increase the burden on a recessionary economy if essential actions like individual protection measures are not taken into consideration.</li><li>The importance of essential measures like wearing clothes that minimise skin exposure, and using mosquito repellents is all the more important with authorities already being stretched thin.</li></ul>Vector-borne diseases like malaria, dengue and chikungunya aren’t cheap for India. They carry a socio-economic burden of $3 billion to $4 billion every year for India, according to a study by the World Health Organisation (WHO). <div type="twitter" handle="BiIndia" handlename="Business Insider India🇮🇳" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1232926719016718336/sfffJHNV_normal.jpg" favoritecount="42" retweetcount="10" status="#StopTheSpread | @thrive_india’s @docmranney speaks to @sunilkat, CEO India &amp; SAARC, @GodrejGroup, @PATHtweets'… https://t.co/8R3RWd6YsK" createdat="1591691390000" id="1270271874505699329"></div> “Post-COVID, what it does to a recessionary economy that’s slowing down, nobody can predict,” said Sunil Kataria, CEO of Godrej Consumers Products in India, during the ‘Stop the Spread’ panel with Business Insider India. <div type="image" title="Malaria3_edited" msid="76436839" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;A man sleeps inside an auto-rickshaw covering with a mosquito net in Kurla&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> However, with the coronavirus pandemic taking hold in India, vector-borne diseases aren’t on top of people’s list of concerns. “Every fever is not necessarily coronavirus. People need to understand, that particularly now, the seasonality of vector-borne diseases, that there are other things to be wary of,” said Marcus Ranney of Thrive Global India. This is highlighted by a poll that First Moms Club conducted to find that 95% of mothers are only thinking about the coronavirus — not vector-borne diseases. “This is not a topic that’s come up, which used to come up till last year around this time,” said Ruchita Dar Shah, the Founder and CEO of First Moms Club. <div type="image" title="Malaria6_edited" msid="76436845" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Mosquito repellent used in houses&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> With the authorities already stretched thin, not taking the necessary steps to prevent diseases like malaria, dengue and chikungunya could stress the economy even further. Essential actions like wearing clothes that minimise skin exposure — especially during the day — using <a href="https://www.amazon.in/Goodknight-Gold-Flash-Mosquito-Repellent/dp/B07YX8XV5S/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Good+Knight&amp;qid=1592285181&amp;sr=8-4">mosquito repellents</a>, household aerosol products, mosquito coils can reduce the risk. Vector-borne diseases were already increasing before coronavirus Dengue has affected more than two lakh people in 2019. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s estimates show that 25 states and union territories (UTs) across India have reported an increase in the number of dengue cases from 2018 to 2019. <div type="image" title="Malaria2_edited" msid="76436858" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Employees of BMCC perform an anti-malaria fumigation drive inside a slum in Kalina, Mumbai &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “Since late 2019 the cases of dengue started increasing,” said Kaushik Sarkar, the India technical lead for Malaria No More. Data provided by the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) shows that the total number of combined dengue, malaria and chikungunya cases in 2019 came up to 487,730. “This year, malaria interventions have been pushed back, because of the lockdown and other measures that have prevented mass level interventions,” said Sarkar citing that there is every potential for a “large upsurge of cases” of malaria and dengue this year if <a href="https://www.amazon.in/HIT-Spray-Flying-Insect-Killer/dp/B00H0FIL6I/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=HiT&amp;qid=1592285262&amp;sr=8-1">essential precautions </a>aren’t taken at an individual level to prevent the spread of the disease. <div type="image" title="Malaria1_edited" msid="76436872" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Students of St Aloysius College, Mangaluru cleaning Bunder area &amp;#8212; identified as a high-risk area for malaria and other vector-borne diseases.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Climate change is allowing mosquitoes to thrive An additional point of concern this year is that climate change is altering the geographical and seasonal distribution of vector-borne diseases. Normally, between March 15 to April 15 the number of mosquitoes increases. And then, with the summers coming in, there is a sharp drop in mosquito infestation until the monsoon season kicks in. “Ever since the lockdown has happened, we haven’t seen a drop. It’s the first time that we have seen such a change. Between April and May, there’s been a steady pattern of mosquito infestation in the country,” said Kataria, highlighting how climate change is also responsible for the increase in cyclones across the country and locust attacks in the northern parts of India. <div type="image" title="Malaria5_edited" msid="76436877" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;A potter making earthen lamps under an anti-mosquito coil to protect himself from the dengue mosquito at Mandiri Mohalla locality in Patna, Bihar&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “Global climate is adding a new variable to the fight against vector-borne diseases,” Kataria explained. While India battles coronavirus, it’s important to remember that the fight against malaria, dengue and chikungunya is ongoing. Offices and large spaces have remained shut during the lockdown, where water may have collected providing a breeding ground for mosquitoes, as per Ranney. He cites prevention being the only cure during the current crisis. While there is no reason to be scared it’s essential to be aware, take the right actions and ensure <a href="https://www.amazon.in/Good-Knight-Naturals-Agarbatti-AntiMosquito/dp/B07NQJCN9V">prevention</a> at an individual level. Disclaimer: Business Insider has partnered with Godrej Consumer Products Limited to help you take the necessary steps to prevent VBD.

In all the noise around COVID-19 — the risks from malaria, dengue and chikungunya are ignored

The Indian government has denied reports that it has asked state-owned banks to withdraw funds from foreign currency accounts abroad in anticipation of their potential seizure with regard to the Cairn legal dispute, terming such information as "false and baseless". <div type="ExtQuote" text="Condemning all such source-based reports as false, the Government of India said that these are totally incorrect reports which were not based on true facts. Certain vested parties appear to have orchestrated such misleading reporting, which often relies upon unnamed sources and presents a lopsided picture of factual and legal developments in the case." auname="An official statement from the government"></div> It said that the India is "vigorously" defending its case in this legal dispute, and has filed an application on March 22 to set aside the "highly flawed" December 2020 international arbitral award in The Hague Court of Appeal. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Text"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> "The government has raised several arguments that warrant setting aside the award. This proceeding is pending," the government said, adding that it is committed to pursuing all legal avenues to defend its case in this dispute worldwide. It was also stated that the CEO and the representatives of Cairns have approached the government for discussions to resolve the matter. "Constructive discussions have been held and the Government remains open for an amicable solution to the dispute within the country's legal framework," the Finance Ministry statement said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/gadgets/news/apples-2021-ipad-pro-users-will-now-be-able-to-download-ipados-updates-over-5g-connection/articleshow/82883050.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Apple's 2021 iPad Pro users will now be able to download iPadOS updates over 5G connection</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/here-are-a-few-interesting-updates-from-google-i/o-2021-to-make-your-life-easier/articleshow/82882620.cms">Here are a few interesting updates from Google I/O 2021 to make your life easier</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/officials-in-up-warns-farmers-for-possible-locust-attack/articleshow/82879335.cms">Officials in UP warns farmers of possible locust attack</a>

Indian government denies reports on PSBs withdrawing funds from abroad due to the Cairn dispute, and is strongly defending its stand in the dispute

Kolkata, Jun 11 () Insisting that the COVID-19 crisis should be turned into an opportunity to create an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said steps have to be taken to ensure that products imported from abroad are manufactured in the country. Addressing the 95th annual plenary session of the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata over video conference, he said this is the time to make bold decisions and investments for the country to scale new heights. "India's goal of self-reliance has been paramount in the policy and practice of the country. The COVID-19 crisis gave us lessons on how to speed up efforts in that direction," he said. The Prime Minister also said that people-centric, people-driven and planet-friendly development has become part of the BJP-led Central government's governance. "India is fighting multiple challenges along with COVID-19, including floods, locust attack, earthquakes...We have to turn crisis into an opportunity for creating Atmanirbhar Bharat and take steps to ensure that products which we import from elsewhere are manufactured in India," Modi added. DC PNT RMS RDM RDM

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Prolonged monsoon in Indo-Pak region drove recent locust outbreak: Scientists

PTI

In all the noise around COVID-19 — the risks from malaria, dengue and chikungunya are ignored

BI India Bureau

Indian government denies reports on PSBs withdrawing funds from abroad due to the Cairn dispute, and is strongly defending its stand in the dispute

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Need to turn COVID crisis into opportunity to create Atmanirbhar Bharat: PM Modi

PTI

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