Srinagar: The alarmingly high infestation of varied types of insects (millipedes or cylindrical or slightly flattened invertebrates with multiple joints and segmented exoskeletons), have begun to decrease, nearly a week after invading Astanpora locality in Brein, Nishat area of Srinagar, officials said Wednesday.
Insecticide sprays by the locals in the Astanpora locality in Brein Nishat, as advised by the authorities, has significantly reduced the millipede invasion in the affected area, officials told ‘Kashmir Images’.
Millipede outbreak, which had created panic and insecurity among the inhabitants of Astanpora locality, officials said was reported nearly a week ago. They said the situation has now improved and that the invasion has subsided to a great extent.
Talking to ‘Kashmir Images’, Chief Agriculture Officer, Srinagar, Manohar Lal Sharma said the arthropods will completely disappear within a day or two, urging the people to follow do’s and don’ts dutifully until the area is completely free of millipede invasion.
Sharma said the senior scientists from Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences (SKUAST-K) accompanied by the officials of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and Agriculture department visited the affected locality and distributed insecticides among the residents.
Spraying of insecticides, Sharma said, left the arthropods dead, while the rest of them disappeared, thus making the inhabitants heave a sigh of relief.
Millipedes, he said, are not harmful to humans in any way and that the people need not to panic whenever they appear. He said the millipede invasion resolves on its own within a week or two.
“We visited the site the same day — besides creating awareness among the masses, we also distributed free insecticide to them with proper instructions,” he added.
When contacted Kisan Vigyan Kendra (KVK) head and senior scientist, Dr Sajad Mohiuddin said the millipedes being occasional pests are attracted to wet, dark and cool places and are not harmful even if they come into contact with humans.
“They survive in unclean areas and then sometimes invade human habitats; we have distributed free insecticides to the locals and as per available information the invasion of millipedes has considerably subsided,” he told ‘Kashmir Images’.
