Second wave of locust invasion and floods to shake East Africa economies

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/ea/Locust-invasion-floods-to-shake-East-Africa-economies/4552908-5540474-w58529/index.html

By LUKE ANAMI
Saturday May 2 2020

The East African Community secretariat will set aside emergency funds to turn tides against floods and locusts.

While floods are wreaking havoc across the region, a swarm of locusts is expected to once again invade Kenya through Ethiopia.

This will deal a double blow to food security in a region that is already grappling with widespread economic disruption from the coronavirus pandemic.

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This comes in the wake of an announcement by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, warning that a new generation of locusts is set to enter East Africa in June.

FAO’s resilience team leader for Eastern Africa Cyril Ferrand is concerned that the desert locust will eat seedlings and young plants, leaving no chance for crops to mature.

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FAO warns that it will be too late to stop the locusts from spreading in less than six months, thereby inviting starvation to millions.

FAO is also concerned that the chemicals used will kill wildlife and damage food supplies.

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At the same time, Lake Victoria Basin countries of Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania have been receiving abnormally heavy rainfall since October 2019 causing flooding and water levels rising in the lake.


tags: extreme weather, severe weather