Operation against locusts intensified in affected cities

The joint teams of Ministry of Food Security, agriculture department and Pakistan Army are carrying out survey and controlled operation in different parts of the country, said National Locust Control Centre.

According to officials, 1,124 teams are taking part in the drive in 58 affected districts, during which survey has been completed in an area of 221,561 square kilometres with control operation conducted on 4,728 square kilometres.

During the past 24 hours, survey and control operation were conducted over an area of 3,247 square kilometres and 36 square kilometres respectively, where 2,330 litres of pesticides had been used.

Aerial spray using planes and helicopters is part of the control operation which has so far been completed in an area of 2,650 square kilometres in Balochistan, 1,465 in Punjab, 351 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 254 square kilometres in Sindh.

Meanwhile, former president Asif Ali Zardari joined the discussion on the locust issue, as he said on Wednesday that locusts had destroyed crops but the federal government seemingly did not have any planning.

Zardari said he had been warning about the destruction caused by locusts from day one.

Locusts have engulfed the entire country and destroyed the crops, he said, adding that ignoring a serious problem like locusts were condemnable.

Earlier on Tuesday, PML-N secretary-general Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday blasted the government for not doing anything to control the locust attack, saying spending Rs100 million on a timely spray at entry points [to the country] would have saved the country from Rs800 billion loss to crops.

In a tweet, Ahsan described it as another disaster on the part of the government and said crops and plants had been destroyed over hundreds of thousands of acres of land.

He also addressed a press conference and said the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) had warned Pakistan about the locust attack and their path, but the government did not pay any attention.

The incompetent and inexperienced government creates a new problem for Pakistan every day, as they do not believe that they have entered the power corridors after leaving the D-Chowk, the senior PML-N leader remarked at a press conference in Lahore.

Ahsan said the government believed that getting the political rivals arrested through NAB was a solution to all the problems.

The only thing they do is the character assassination of opposition, the only thing they do is disrespecting the opposition, he added.