#LocustAttack dominates social media trends as swarms invade Gurugram

The Gurgaon District Administration has issued a locust warning for the district, advising residents to keep doors and windows locked and make loud noises to scare the insects.

By: Trends Desk

New Delhi | Updated: June 27, 2020 02:28 PM IST

5 min read

Many said they wanted rain and not locusts during the summer months. (Source: @swagger_jatt_/ Twitter)

For people living in the National Capital Region, the weekend began on an unwelcoming note as swarms of locusts thronged the region, particularly Gurugram. Scary videos and photos of the locust attack flooded social media sites, with people worried about how to tackle it. #LocustAttack and #Gurgaon dominated trends on Twitter in India, and while most users shared videos, some tried to gain some respite with jokes and memes.

Less than an hour after they began moving out of Jhajjar, Haryana, the insects hit Gurugram at around 11 am on Saturday morning. Big swarms were spotted eclipsing the skies in areas including DLF Phase 1, Phase 2, and busy MG Road. As people were stuck at home amid the global pandemic, residents started recording the attack from their balconies and windows.

The Gurgaon District Administration has issued a locust warning for the district, advising residents to keep doors and windows locked and make loud noises to scare the insects. Many people sharing videos joked that they had practice of banging plates and dishes amid the lockdown and it might be helpful now, calling it an “atmanirbhar” state. Some also quipped that sealing the border would not stop this spread into Delhi.

Check out some of the videos and how people are reacting to the locust attack.

https://twitter.com/PathikS65440981/status/1276774412499353600

https://twitter.com/ranaravish1/status/1276766649488678914
https://twitter.com/pradipghevariaa/status/1276765968811700224

https://twitter.com/aalsiiladki/status/1276776294261260288
https://twitter.com/Somesh64592526/status/1276763238797946880

“Two groups had entered the city from Jhajjar. One is heading towards Delhi from the railway station and sector 4-5. The other group is heading from the direction of Kherki Daula toll plaza towards Delhi,” Atmaram Godara, Deputy Director, Agriculture, Gurgaon, said. However, the official assured that no crops have been damaged so far in the area as the locusts “have not come down in the fields yet.”

Earlier, videos of locust attack in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh had flooded social media, and people shared memes on dealing with it.

From the homepage