The government failed to tackle these locusts; they need to find out where the holes are in the departments concerned
ISLAMABAD: On Sunday, Nov 10, a locust outbreak in different parts of Sindh caused fear among people. The locusts devoured a number of agricultural crops and even interrupted a domestic level cricket match. Though events like this can’t be avoided but their impact can be minimised by better planning and good disaster management strategies.
This recent invasion of locusts forced many schools to close and farmers lost their crops. This shows the inadequate capabilities of our disaster management departments and the authorities concerned.
The Sindh agriculture minister in a video message tells the public not to fear, but enjoy locust biryani and karahi. Statements, like these coming from a minister, shows the seriousness of higher authorities who left the farmers on their own. These poor, less educated farmers don’t even know how to raise their voice. They cannot reach the media nor can they file a complaint on citizen portal.
The government failed to tackle these locusts; they need to find out where the holes are in the departments concerned and work to fix them to better tackle such situations in the future. Additionally, they must compensate the farmers for their losses.
Muhammad Hassan Amin
Published in The Express Tribune, November 21st, 2019.
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