The outskirts of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, is under siege by swarms of locusts that officials fear will ruin vegetation and potentially impact tourism.
The locusts arrived outside Mogadishu on Saturday in the Danvile District, devastating vegetation and pastures.
Danvile administration
official Abdiaziz Dahir is calling on the government to help save
the impacted area, which he said is known for its scenery, pasture and
tourism.
Dahir
said the concern is that the locust invasion will turn the entire area
into arid land and impact the number of tourists who will visit the
area.
Although aerial
spraying is considered the best way to get rid of the pesky
locusts, some people are taking matters into their own hands, hoping to
scare off the insects by making loud noises with kitchen utensils.
The invasion of the airborne pests comes as Somalia continues to try to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
According
to the Johns Hopkins University and Medicine Coronavirus Center Somalia
has confirmed more than 4,200 COVID-19 cases and 107 deaths.
VOA