Islamabad, February 18, 2020 (PPI-OT):Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal has warned that locust swarms is a major threat to the food security in the Country and urged that all out efforts are required to eradicate this menace with next few weeks before it take shape of a national calamity. He stated this while chairing a coordination meeting on lasted locust situation in the Country here on Tuesday. Lt. General Afzal has said that emergency measures are urgently needed against the locusts. He directed to devise a comprehensive mechanism for the early warning systems and surveillance, emphasizing that without an effective surveillance on locusts movement patterns and prevalence in various parts of the Country, it’s eradication would be difficult to achieve.
Chairman NDMA has also requested Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations to provide e-locust devices for tracking and detection of the locust population and its movement. Director Generals of all PDMAs from Punjab, Sindh, KPK and Balochistan briefed the meeting on the latest situation on locust prevalence in their respective provinces and measures taken to control the locust swarms. DGs of all four PDMAs also apprised the Chairman NDMA on the available human and other resources which included the availability of pesticides, vehicles mounted spray guns and other equipment.
Chairman NDMA has assured the PDMAs that all necessary resources will be arranged on provision of right and accurate information and data. Representatives from Ministry of Food Security and Research and Director General Plant Protection Department has apprised on the details of the steps taken so far to control the locusts invasion in the Country. Experts from FAO of UN and various agriculture universities including Faisalabad Agriculture University and University of Agriculture, Multan also participated in the meeting to give their technical opinion.
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