Staff Reporter
Peshawar
Environmentalists and Wildlife experts are hailing government’s plan of countering locust attacks in the country by giving financial incentives to people to catch the pest and sell it to poultry farmers as protein rich feed.
The approach has been termed as environment friendly because using aerial spray of pesticides for culling swarms of locust would leave negative impact on human health through contamination of crops, water besides affecting birds population by eating of poisoned pests.
It merits a mention here that the federal cabinet with the Prime Minister in chair in its meeting on June 2. 2020 while holding discussion on locust attacks in the country had approved a proposal for dealing the threat by giving financial incentives to people to catch these insects and supply to poultry farmers at the rate of Rs. 15 per kg. The plan is already introduced and executed in Okara district of Punjab through the efforts of Muhammad Khurshid, a civil servant in Ministry of National Food Security and Research and Johar Ali, a Bio-technologist from Pakistan Agriculture Research Council.For attracting people towards the programme, they used the slogan of ‘Catch locusts, Earn Money.
Save Crops’. Prime Minister, Imran Khan while hailing the pilot project expressed the desire that this biological control approach should be implemented across the country after consent of provinces as this would not only give some relief to already coronavirus hit people but also boost poultry farming, besides eradication of migratory insects.’Infact, the Prime Minister wanted to turn the crisis into an opportunity, therefore, he approved a plan of catching and selling locusts,’ said Federal Minister for Information, Shibli Faraz while talking with newsmen after the cabinet meeting.
‘This approach of countering locust attacks would not damage the environment and ecosystem which will become affected through use of pesticides,’ observed Jamshed Iqbal Chaudhry, Senior Manager Research and Conservation, WWF-Pakistan. Jamshed Chaudhry said using pesticides for countering locust threat should be used as a last option because of its far reaching negative impact on life cycle by disturbing the environment and damaging birds population for which this pest is a prey.’ Aerial and ground spray of chemicals kill all sorts of life coming in its way by polluting air, water and soil,’ Jamshed remarked. Jamshed Chaudhry said there were numerous species of birds which eat locusts.The environmentalist expressed very much concern over damage to avian diversity after use of pesticides for culling swarms of locusts.
The poisoned dead locusts would be utilized by birds in all the affected districts of Pakistan and will ensue in large scale mortality in avifauna. Jamshed expressed serious concern about the survival of the already much endangered Great Indian Bustard whose population was only around 150 to 200 in the region.
