For the third year running it looks as though Zangskari agricultural activity will again be hampered by locusts. In the words of one Zangskari "the menace has awakened". Sightings of locust nymphs have been reported from Karsha and Phey and settlements across Junkhor. Large numbers of buried eggs have also been discovered in affected areas. The Chief Agricultural Officer Kargil has ordered 3000L of chlorpyriphos pesticide and additional quantities of malathion to combat the problem.

If locust mobility and resilience in Zangskar is indicative of the locusts also present in Hanle area, concerns must also be running high in Leh and Kargil, and the extensive cultivated areas along the Indus and Suru valleys.

A full report on Locust activities in summer 2006 can be found in Ladakh Studies 21, (February 2007) pp27-29.