BBC Africa Is reporting hundreds of billions of locusts are swarming through parts of East Africa and South Asia In what Is reportedly the worst Infestation for a quarter of a century, threatening crops and livelihoods.
The insects, which eat their own body weight in food every day, are breeding so fast numbers could grow four hundredfold by June making it a crisis.
The locust crisis that has now reached 10 countries could carry on to endanger millions more people, forecasters have said. Swarms of locusts are forming in the Horn of Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and India. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)has requested $138 million to help control the swarms and protect farmers whose livelihoods are being impacted.
Accuweather reports weather initiated the crisis. In 2018, cyclones from the Indian Ocean hit the Arabian Peninsula near the borders of Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman. Warm weather at the end of 2019, combined with unusually heavy rains, created the ideal conditions for the locusts.
The locusts spread rapidly and national emergencies have been declared in Pakistan, Jordan and Somalia. More than 140,000 acres of crops have been damaged in Pakistan alone since last April.
This story is developing.
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