Page 22 - Nile Explorer Issue 007

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Since October 2019, east African coun- “Within the next three months, we could “It is a race against time to have all the
tries have experienced exceptionally potentially have a 20 times bigger prob- capacity in place to control the next
heavy rains and widespread flash floods lem than we have now,” Ferrand said, generation of locust at the time the
attributed to the Indian ocean dipole – a given typical population growth if eggs farmers are planting cereals in March
climate phenomenon in which the west- hatch and the vast new generation of and April. We are urging donors to
ern part of Indian ocean near the east insects manages to find enough food allocate resources now instead of June,”
African coast was warmer than the and reproduce. he said.
eastern part. To boost on-ground surveillance capac- Kenya has an on-ground monitoring
The wind sent warm moist air across ity in Kenya, FAO Kenya has stated team in every county, identifying and
the East African coast, causing h Abuba- training 600 people as part of the reporting the swarm activities. While
kar Salih Babiker, a climate scientist at National Youth Service (NYS) in collab- the situation is mostly under control,
the IGAD Climate Prediction and oration with Moroccan desert locust according to Agira, incoming swarms
Application Centre (ICPAC), told CHN experts. from Somalia are a threat to efforts
the Western Indian Ocean has warmed Ferrand admitted the desert locust conducted so far.
rapidly over the past 100 years and is the mapping and monitoring in Kenya, “If there is still no control in Somalia
fastest warming part of the tropical Ethiopia and Sudan is currently and Yemen, new swarms and unidenti-
ocean system, a trend linked to “sketchy.” “The control operation is still fied hatchings will continue being a
man-made global warming. to be improved as we do not have all the significant threat,” he said.
ICPAC’s Fifty-Fourth Greater Horn of means to control, survey, and conduct FAO is requesting $76 million for
Africa Climate Outlook Forum predicts ground monitoring, but we are building Kenya, Somali, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and
a wetter and hotter than usual March to this capacity.” Eritrea. Ferrand said the figure will rise
May season in a wide area within the Ferrand said FAO was working with as more resources for controlling and
horn of Africa. Already the region is countries and the Desert Locust supporting affected communities’ liveli-
experiencing above-average rainfall Control Organisation for Eastern Africa hoods will be required. •
during the summer season, which began to build capacity for on-ground moni-
in January. toring teams. The teams require GPS
Cyril Ferrand, FAO resilience team radios to monitor and map the move-
leader for eastern Africa, told CHN the ment of the swarms of yellow-coloured
countries have a vast swarm of desert mature insects, since the colour
locusts now maturing and laying eggs indicates the areas where they are likely
on the ground. And the rains complicate to lay eggs.
desert locust control as it is not suitable
to spray insecticides during rains.

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