TLTP
ISLAMABAD
The National Locust Control Centre (NLCC) warned on Monday that the threat of a locust attack on two districts from India and Africa still persists.
The NLCC provided a recent update on the locust attack. It said that due to Pakistan Army and the government’s timely actions, the threat from the pests has lessened in intensity.
The NLCC said that the danger of strong locust attacks has reduced from 61 districts across the country to just two districts.
Within 24 hours, more than 262,000 hectares of land were surveyed, it said. The NLCC said that 2,791 hectares of land were sprayed and the pest was exterminated.
In the six months, 115,400 hectares of land was cleansed of locusts through vigorous spraying, said the centre.
In June, the government had announced it was allocating funds amounting to Rs26 billion to fight the locust outbreak in the country.
Minister for National Food Security and Research Fakhar Imam said the desert locust situation in Pakistan has found a new corridor and locusts are now entering Pakistan from Afghanistan to Dera Ismail Khan and Waziristan.
“The federal government will spend Rs14 billion and provincial governments will contribute Rs12 billion to counter the locust,” Imam said while addressing the 5th meeting of the National Locust Control Centre.
The locust plague has affected farmers across the country and is feared to create food shortages. Pakistan declared a national emergency after the first swarm invaded the country from the UAE in mid-2019.
About 8,000 army troops were deployed for the anti-locust operation, it was reported back then. China had also extended financial help of $4.9 million to Pakistan by giving it 53,000 litres of spray, sprayers and drones, the minister had said. Twenty aircraft were used for the anti-locusts operation. TLTP
