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Yemen + 10 more

Desert Locust Bulletin 430 (July 2014) [EN/AR]

Attachments

General Situation during July 2014
Forecast until mid-September 2014

The Desert Locust situation improved during July. Limited control operations were carried out against a small number of adult groups and swarms that formed in the spring breeding areas in the interior of Saudi Arabia. Some swarms moved to Yemen where they dispersed and may eventually lay eggs. Remnants of swarms were reported in northern Ethiopia and one swarm was treated in Eritrea. Scattered adults and a few small groups were present in northern Sudan where local breeding occurred in a few places, and scattered adults appeared in the summer breeding areas in Pakistan. During the forecast period, small-scale breeding will occur in the northern Sahel of West Africa and Sudan as well as along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border, causing locust numbers to increase slightly.

Western Region. No locusts were reported and the situation remained calm in July. Seasonal rains commenced during the month in the summer breeding areas of the northern Sahel in West Africa and ecological conditions were improving. Consequently, small-scale breeding is expected to occur during the forecast period, causing locust numbers to increase slightly in southern and central Mauritania, northern Mali, Niger and Chad.

Central Region. The situation remained generally calm in July. Locust infestations declined in the spring breeding areas in the interior of Saudi Arabia due to control operations and drying conditions. Nevertheless, some adult groups and small swarms formed and moved southwest towards the Red Sea while others moved to the highlands and interior of Yemen. There is a risk that a few small swarms could reach Sudan where scattered adults and a few small groups were already present in the north. Remnants of earlier swarms were maturing in the northern highlands of Ethiopia and one swarm reached Eritrea where it was treated. During the forecast period, breeding will occur in the interior of Sudan and perhaps in the western lowlands of Eritrea and in the interior of Yemen, causing locust numbers to increase slightly.

Eastern Region. The situation remained calm in July. The southwest monsoon commenced, bringing rainfall to the summer breeding areas along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border. So far, only scattered adults have been reported in Cholistan, Pakistan. During the forecast period, small-scale breeding will cause locust numbers to increase in Rajasthan, India and adjacent areas of Pakistan.