Balochistan most affected province by locusts' attack, says NDMA

ISLAMABAD: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has said that Balochistan is the province most affected by the locusts attack, ARY News reported on Sunday.

A spokesperson of NDMA has said that swarms of locusts have spread to 52 districts of the country including 31 in Balochistan, 10 districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, six in Sindh and five districts in Punjab.

A survey and control operation has been underway in locusts’ hit areas, NDMA said.

In the countrywide operation 1102 teams taking part in the operation and 3,63,000 hectres of land have been surveyed in 24 hours, while an area of 4,900 hectres was treated with anti-locust insecticide, the statement said.

According to NDMA,insecticides sprayed over 200 hectres in Punjab, 800 hectres in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 700 hectres in Sindh.

Overall fumigation has been completed at 4,92,000 hectres of land, the statement said.

It is to be mentioned here that swarms of locusts have attacked fruit orchards in Balochistan’s Sibi, Loralai and Khuzdar districts.

“Locusts have damaged apple, cherry and peach crops in orchards,” local cultivators said.

Swarms of crop eating insects have also damaged onion crops, a Plant Protection Department official said.

Moreover, locusts have also damaged crops in tehsil Dasht in Kech district and Pasni, Kalanch and Nagor areas in Gwadar.