CHITRAL: Locusts have been found dead in the remote hilly areas of Madak Lusht in Lower Chitral district and Khot in Upper Chitral district.

The officials said the cold weather killed locusts after a windstorm brought them to the region at nighttime.

Deputy director of the agriculture department Rafique Ahmad told Dawn that a small number of locusts, which reached the area along a violent storm, had survived but as individuals, they couldn’t harm the foliage as they did in other areas of the country.

“Fortunately, it was raining as the locusts arrived here, so the temperature was too low for them to survive. They died instantly,” he said.

The official said he sent two teams consisting of entomologists to the villages to guide villagers on how to respond to the situation, while two local teams were formed to furnish reports on a daily basis. He said if locusts swarmed the area, the department was fully prepared for effective response.

ONLINE EDUCATION: The University of Chitral has launched an android mobile app for its Open Educational Resources website.

In a statement, it said the app users could view lectures and read books online.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2020