Authorities have identified the insects as caddis flies, the number of which appears to be increasing daily along the Kakatiya Canal
Karimnagar: Motorists traveling along the Kakatiya Canal downstream of the Lower Manair Dam have had many problems over the past three days as they are forced to drive through a swarm of insects, resulting in many accidents. The swarm of insects takes to the streets every evening and motorists, especially motorcyclists, are faced with the brunt of the burden, as well as slings and falls.
Authorities have identified the insects as caddis flies, the number of which appears to be increasing daily along the Kakatiya Canal. The swarm moves onto the road that crosses the canal and hinders vehicle movement on Rajiv Rahadari in the evening and at night. Although the swarms of insects that are seen are common, the intensity of the insects that fly in swarms has increased over the past three days, locals say.
While many motorcyclists have suffered injuries after falling while riding through the swarms, there have been one or two cases where motorcyclists fell into the canal and were rescued by locals.
Locals say that the number of insects seems to increase as the water flow in the canal increases. When 4,000 cusecs of water were released into the canal, the number of caddis flies was fewer. However, the strength was increased when the amount of water was increased to 6,000 cusecs.
The district’s agricultural officer, V Sreedhar, visited the site on Sunday and collected caddisflies for medical examination.
On that occasion, he said the collected insects would be sent to the laboratory for examination.
Caddisflies usually appear near bodies of water such as tanks and canals. They would also occur in areas where an ecological imbalance has developed. Caddisflies are attracted to light sources.
As the situation was very dire, the authorities considered several options and ruled out the chemical control methods as the water in the canal was also used for drinking purposes.
Watch: Insects are wreaking havoc near the Kakatiya Canal in Karimnagar
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