NDMA continues anti-locusts spray across the country

ISLAMABAD: With an aim to control the locust swarms, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is continuing its operations across the country.

According to the spokesperson of NDMA, survey of 326000 hectares of area has been carried out while 10,000 hectares have been sprayed across the country during last twenty-four hours.

He said the crop munching bug exists in 51 districts of the country including 33 districts in Balochistan, 10 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 2 in Punjab and 6 in Sindh.

The spokesman said 7886 hectares in Balochistan, 960 hectares in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 14 hectares in Punjab and 1161 hectares in Sindh have been sprayed during last twenty-four hours.

The Spokesperson said that over 566 thousand hectares of area has so far been sprayed across the country.

According to the NDMA Balochistan is the province most affected by the locusts attack.

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.