KARACHI:Instead of controlling locusts attack in different districts of Sindh province with the help of agriculture experts, the provincial agriculture department of Sindh has assigned deputy commissioners of Tharparkar, Umarkot, Sanghar and Khairpur to eliminate locusts.
The deputy commissioners of the areas affected by locusts attack have been given Rs5 million each to conduct operation in crop fields to kill locusts. There were reports from different cities that it has been three months after attack of locusts, but neither federal government nor provincial regime could take effective steps to control the locusts.
The reports revealed that the locusts were still attacking fields in Tharparkar, Umarkot, Sanghar and Khairpur districts. However, Sindh Chief Minister Sayed Murad Ali Shah had issued Rs32 crore a month ago to agriculture department for conducting operation against the locusts, but the agriculture department could not prepare an strategy to overcome the insects which were destroying the crops.
According to Agriculture Minister Ismail Rahu, the Sindh government has Rs32 crore for controlling locusts and was preparing a future plan, out of which Rs5 million have been issued to each deputy commissioners of Tharparkar, Sanghar, Umerkot and Kharpur, who would buy spray and vehicles for killing the locusts.
He said there was low quantity of locusts in Nangarparkar, Sanghar, Umerkot and Khairpur’s Kacho area and they were working to overcome the locusts. ‘’We could not conduct spray through planes because it would be harmful so we would conduct spray with vehicles,’’ the minister said.
In June, many districts of Sindh were reported the spread of locusts – species of short-horned grasshoppers – which are threatening many agricultural crops. Swarms of locusts have spread to six districts of Sindh after initially attacking Khairpur, sparking fears of large-scale crop devastation in barrage areas.
Newsdesk