IT sounds like a tale of biblical proportions, but it is real life across swathes of Africa where a plague of billions of locusts is sweeping the land.

Billions?

The scale of the plague is beyond fathoming.

The United Nations (UN) said Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are dealing with desert locust swarms of “unprecedented size and destructive potential” that could spill over into more countries.

It is already the worst outbreak of desert locusts in the area for 70 years, with billions of the insects invading Kenya from Somalia and Ethiopia and the swarms growing in size.

It’s going to get even worse?

When rains arrive in March, bringing new vegetation across the region, the UN has warned the numbers of the fast-breeding creatures are expected to grow 500 times, before drier weather in June halts their advance.

The desert locust is the most dangerous?

Locusts are the oldest migratory pest in the world, differing from ordinary grasshoppers in their ability to form swarms that can migrate over large distances.

And the most devastating of all locust species is the desert locust. During plagues, it can easily affect 20 percent of the Earth's land, more than 65 of the world's poorest countries, and potentially damage the livelihood of one tenth of the world's population.

Crops are being destroyed?

Swarms cdesert locusts are moving around 150 kilometres a day – devastating crops and rural livelihoods.

A large desert plague can contain up to 150 million individuals per square kilometre, with half a million locusts weighing approximately one tonne and one tonne of locusts can devour as much food in one day as about 10 elephants, 25 camels or 2,500 people. The insects can destroy at least 200 tonnes of vegetation per day.

They could spread even further?

A number of desert locust swarms have been breeding in India, Iran and Pakistan since June 2019, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). And some have migrated to southern Iran where recent heavy rains have nurtured a breeding ground that could generate swarms in the spring. Meanwhile, Egypt, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen are also seeing substantial breeding activity that could see locust bands expand into swarms in the coming months.

The latest update?

The FAO’s Locust Watch warns the current situation remains “extremely alarming and represents an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods in the Horn of Africa”.

What’s being done to address the crisis?

The UN is calling for a collective campaign to deal with the plague and the FAO said it is "fast-tracking mechanisms to support governments", warning that the situation is now of "international dimensions”.

Specifically?

According to the FAO, “given the scale of the current swarms, aerial control is the only effective means to reduce the locust numbers”.

The UN is seeking $70 million to urgently support both pest control and livelihood protection operations in the three most affected countries.

MAUREEN SUGDEN