RAHIM YAR KHAN: A swarm of locusts on Wednesday afternoon entered the main city and adjoining areas including Dari Sanghi, Chak 5 NP, Jaffarabad, Amangarh, Bindour Sarbhori and Kaacha.

The insects were in millions and initially they started sitting on trees due to cloudy weather. But later they also landed in courtyards and roofs of houses in the entire city and remained there for hours.

After evening, some insects were seen under lamp posts. People started making their pictures and videos on their cell phones and shared on the social media immediately.

Last week, talking to Dawn in Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab Director General Agriculture (Pest Warning) Syed Zafaryab Haider had claimed that now there was no danger of locusts because they were migrating to coastal areas of Balochistan.

According to Haider, the swarms would now travel from south to north after spending four months in the desert area (Cholistan). In July, the locusts had attacked some areas of Cholistan in Rahim Yar Khan district and damaged cotton crop and fodder in its neighbouring villages.

The district administration had claimed that the locusts were controlled and eliminated through pesticides spray but now the sudden appearance of the insects in [RYK] areas proved that its swarms still exist in different areas of Cholistan.

RYK Assistant Commissioner Aitazaz Anjum said there was no danger from locusts because they were travelling in the shape of huge swarms to their native destinations.

He said locusts would cross the Arabian sea and would reach the desert areas of Gulf and later African deserts.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2019