(Clearwisdom.net) On the morning of July 10, 2002, swarms of locusts built up along the highway leading to the compound of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Party Committee for over one kilometer (about 0.6 mile) long. Until this article was submitted (5:00 p.m.), many women, senior citizens, and school student were still working around the lawns on both side of the highway to wipe out the locusts. It was said that whenever locusts appeared they would fly towards the compound of the party committee.

Caption: Swarms of locusts jump towards the compound of Inner Mongolia Party Committee

Journalists from PeopleNet learned from the Institute of Plant Protection and Quarantine, Agricultural Bureau of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region that the locusts came from the farmland in the Huhhot suburbs. Severe damage occurred in both agricultural and animal husbandry areas. Some officials from the Bureau of Animal Husbandry were still in Silinguole district to participate in eliminating locusts with airplanes. The infested area has reached over 1 million mu (a Chinese unit of area, about 330, 000 acres). Excepting Arlashante and Wuhai, all of the rest of the 10 districts and cities have been infested.