Algeria: Emergency Centre for Locust Operations (ECLO) - Situation Report No 8

6 – 12 December 2004

1. Overview of the situation

Several immature swarms have arrived in the Central River, North Bank and Upper River divisions in Gambia in the past few days, and control operations have been launched. These swarms are left over from late summer breeding in the Sahel and are coming from eastern Senegal and western Mali. They are likely to be limited in number and the risk of additional incoming swarms should decline.

Groups of immature adults are present in northern Mali and in Tamesna in northwest Niger.

In Algeria, more immature swarms arrived in the south from the Sahel, and were also present along the Libyan border and along the Moroccan border.

Intensive aerial and ground control operations continue against immature swarms in Morocco and Algeria, primarily in the valleys and plateaux of the Atlas Mountains. The majority of the swarms will stay immature and remain in these areas until spring, providing a good opportunity to reduce locust numbers significantly in the next four months.

Control operations are also in progress in Mauritania.

Scattered groups of immature gregarious adults have been seen along the border of Libya, Egypt, and Sudan near Jebel Uweinat., Small residual infestations are probably present in the northern Red Sea Trench, although there have not been any new reports.

2. Funding situation

As of 8 December 2004, FAO has received US$57.9 million in cash from 24 donors, to which the Organization has added US$6 million of its own funds.

US$14.3 million has been pledged but not yet received and US$1.9 million is currently being negotiated with donors.

The following table gives an overview of ongoing projects and approved pipeline as well as the recipient country.

3. Assistance provided by FAO

3.1 Personnel

An FAO locust consultant based at the Regional Emergency Coordination Unit in Dakar will be visiting Gambia from 13 December 2004. The objective of the mission is to provide assistance to the planning of possible locust control interventions. Some swarms, or swarm fragments are reported to have left the Gambia and entered the Casamance region of Senegal where ground control is underway.

3.2 Aircraft

Fixed wing aircraft contracts have been extended in the following countries: Mauritania: four aircraft for an additional one month to mid-December 2004 Senegal: one aircraft for one month with provision for cross-border operations into Guinea, Guinea Bissau, and Gambia to early January, 2005 Niger: two aircraft for an additional 15 days to early-December 2004

Helicopter contracts have been extended in:

Mauritania: two helicopters for an additional one month to end-December 2004 Senegal: one helicopter for an additional one month to end-December 2004 Niger: one helicopter for an additional seven days to complete survey operations by mid-December 2004

In Morocco, FAO has deployed two aircraft for a period of one month from 29 November 2004, to undertake spraying operations in Morocco, based in Agadir.

3.2 Overview of total expenditures and commitments

The following table shows the total expenditures spent or committed on the following main inputs:

4. FAO Actions to protect human health and the environment

Pesticide use during the current Desert Locust campaign in the Sahelian Countries is estimated at 2.2 million litres; this amount has been provided through FAO, by bilateral cooperation and by local government.

FAO is much concerned about protecting human health and the environment hence the following actions are being taken:

A) Elimination/recycling of empty pesticide containers

FAO is finalizing a Regional work plan for the elimination and/or recycling of empty containers and the management of the remaining pesticide stocks resulting from the summer Desert Locust Campaign. A preparatory mission for the inventory, collection and recycling of empty pesticide containers and to assess pesticide stocks has been completed (November-December 2004).

The first mission went to Mauritania. It was organized by the EMPRES (Desert Locust) office in Nouakchott in close collaboration with the Mauritanian “Centre de la Lutte Antiacridienne”.

The second mission visited Senegal. It was organized by the Direction de la Protection des Végétaux and the FAO Representation.

In both countries, an inventory of empty containers was made and drum collection centres for washing, rinsing and crushing the drums were agreed upon. Local capacity for recycling the clean crushed metal drums was identified. The whole operation is expected to be carried out from January to March 2005.

The necessary washing/rinsing/crushing equipment and protective clothingfor the operators are being ordered. National expertise and labour sources were also identified.

Similar FAO missions to Mali, Niger and Chad are being planned for later in December 2004 and early January 2005.

B) Training programme on quality control of operations related to pesticides used in Desert Locust Control

FAO (AGPP) undertook a preparatory mission to Mauritania in November 2004, resulting in a draft Work plan with scheduling training sessions for next January 2005 in the Sahelian countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, Mali, Niger and Senegal ).

C) Trials on alternative control methods to pesticides and barrier treatments

As recommended by the FAO Pesticide Referee Group, trials with Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs), Metarhizium (Green Muscle) and barrier treatments are being planned and will be implemented in Northwest Africa, probably next spring, if suitable locust targets are found.

D) Monitoring human health and environmental impact of pesticides

One of the effects of contamination with organophosphate pesticides as used in locust control is that it depresses cholinesterase levels in the blood of staff carrying out locust operations. If staff follow correct procedures and wear the proper protective clothing, such contamination should not occur at all. However, from time to time accidents occur or procedures are not followed. To monitor contamination, FAO is promoting routine cholinesterase level testing in operator staff. Often such monitoring is carried out in cooperation with the National Institute of Public Health. If evidence of contamination is found, the staff member is taken off work involving handling pesticides and given time to recuperate or allocated other duties. Where pesticides have been used extensively, soil and water samples were analysed for : i) pesticide residues to evaluate environmental contamination and; ii) evaluation of side effects on non-target and beneficial organisms.

Information

The latest information on the Desert Locust situation, operational activities and donor funding can be found on FAO’s locust web site:

(http://www.fao.org/news/global/locusts/locuhome.htm)

Hilde Niggemann
Operations Officer
Emergency Operations and Rehabilitation Division
ECLO
FAO, Rome

Clive Elliott
Senior Officer
Locust and Other Migratory Pests Group
Plant Production and Protection Division
ECLO
FAO, Rome

For further information, please contact these persons at the following email address: locusts-assistance@fao.org