Flooding, locust threats loom over Pakistan, says NDMA chief.

Byline: Kalbe Ali

ISLAMABAD -- Apart from coronavirus pandemic, two more threats - locust attack and possible flooding - are looming over PakisAtan and the authorities have been working on measures to couAnter all of them, said NatAional Disaster ManageAment Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen MohamAmad Afzal on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference, the NDMA chief said that operations against locusts had already been under way while the NDMA was also working to devise a comprehensive plan to deal with possible flooding this year.

Lt Gen Afzal said the plan would be shared with relevant authorities and public by the second week of June.

'We will try our best to utilise all the resources available in the country to tackle these threats and the whole nation will counter them effectively,' he added.

He said locust attack was a serious issue and this matter should not be politicised. 'I appeal to all the leaderships of religious, political and social groups to join hands and concentrate to get rid of them (locusts) instead of point-scoring,' he said.

The NDMA chairman explained that the current locust attack was not in the category of swarms, but they were in groups. They were locally bred and indigenous.

He said that due to extensive cold and snowfall in Balochistan areas in January and February, the locusts did not move back to Iran and Africa but stayed in PakisAtan and laid their eggs. 'The current generation of locusts active in Southern Punjab are local but it was present in other provinces as well,' he highlighted.

The operation had been launched with the help of 1,500 teams of the NDMA along with the provincial disaster management authAoArities of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan over two weeks back, he said.

'These teams have not slept for one night for the last 15 days because operations against locusts [are conducted] at night mainly just before sunrise,' he said.

Currently massive operations were under way in Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, some areas of Faisalabad, Okara, Bakkhar and Layyah, the NDMA chairman said.

All requirements to kill and ward off locusts have been fulfilled as the Chinese government gifted 375,000 litres of pesticides to Pakistan, the Japanese gift of 50,000 litres would arrive here next week, while the NDMA also procured 175,000 litres and 100,000 litres of pesticides. Besides, nine aircraft - including five helicopters from army - were available for aerial spray, he said, adding that the NDMA was also in...

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