1 (28th Session) NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SECRETARIAT ———— “QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWERS AND THEIR REPLIES” to be asked at a sitting of the National Assembly to be held on Monday, the 25th January, 2021 63. Admissibility is being re­considered. 122. *Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro: (Deferred during 27th Session) Will the Minister for National Food Security and Research be pleased to state: (a) the estimated loss to economy due to locust attack during the year 2019-2020; (b) the reasons identified for spreading and continuous persistence of this locust menace on such a wide scale; (c) steps taken by the Federal and Provincial Governments mutually so far to deal with this situation alongwith the outcome achieved so far; (d) the future strategy adopted by the Government to deal with this issue; and (e) detail of protective measures, being taken and weakness found during the locust eradication operation thereof? Minister for National Food Security and Research (Syed Fakhar Imam): (a) No significant loss to agricultural crops reported by any Provincial Government due to locust attack so far. However, partial damages to few crops were reported by farmers through NLCC in few districts (Khushab, 2 Dadu, Shaheed Benazirabad) which were recovered later on and thus no significant loss to economy of the country caused by locust so far (Annex-A). (b) The main reason behind the spread of locust is a global phenomenon resulting due to climate change that brought eight cyclones in Indian oceans during 2018. Moreover, due to law and order situation in Yemen, the locust was not controlled, that spread and migrated to Saudi Arabia, Oman and Horn of Africa. Thereafter it invaded Iran and the sub­continent. Resultantly, massive breeding and multiplications took place in Sistan (Iran) as well as Balochistan (Pakistan) that further migrated to other provinces in Pakistan & India. (c) Federal Government in consultation with Provincial Governments took following steps to curb this menace. i. Federal Government allocated TSG amounting to Rs. 955.55 million during February 2020 to NDMA for curbing locust attack. ii. Invoked National Emergency on February 11, 2020. iii. Prime Minister of Pakistan Established National Locust Control Centre (NLCC). iv. The extensive Desert Locust Survey and Control operations were carried out through­out Pakistan during the invasion period to curb 2 this menace effectively. So far, 615,526 Km area have been surveyed 2 and 11,341 km area have been treated in the country. The province­ wise detail is as under:— —————————————————————————————— 2 2 Province Area Surveyed (Km ) Area Treated (Km ) —————————————————————————————— Balochistan: 190,665 4,808 Punjab: 193,122 4,693 KPK: 116,341 625 Sindh: 115,398 1,215 —————————————————————————————— Total: 615,526 11,341 —————————————————————————————— v. As a result of effective management, the locust has been eliminated from all 62 affected districts in Pakistan, and at present Pakistan is free from locust attack. 3 (d) Locust Emergency and Food Security (LEAFS) project was prepared in consultation with all the stakeholders and got approved from ECNEC. The main components of the project include: a. Strengthening of Department of Plant Protection (DPP) on sustainable basis. b. Livelihood protection and rehabilitation of affected areas. c. Surveillance and Control Measures. d. Early Warning, Preparedness & Food security. On the request of MNFSR, the Federal Government is considering to allocate an amount of Rs. 26.4 billion for undertaking miscellaneous activities for the management of locust as outlined under National action Plan­II viz. purchase of pesticides, equipment, POL and other items. Part of this will be met by provinces which will be coped up from LEAFS project funded by World Bank. More than 1,100 teams and above 5,000 manpower with more than 700 control and surveillance vehicles are involved in surveillance and control efforts throughout Pakistan. So far, 175,000 liters of Malathion ULV pesticides, 100,000 liters of Lambda Cyhalothrin ULV pesticides have been procured and 83 Micronaire ULV sprayers imported through NDMA from abroad. Further, three DPP aircrafts are airworthy and five Army Aviation Helicopters have been fitted with spray kits for use against locust. Process of recruitment of 100 Entomologists, 50 Locust Assistants and 50 drivers is underway to meet the technical and skilled staff requirement of locust wing of DPP. (e) Following protective measures were adopted during locust control operation: DPP imparted trainings to locust warriors as well as workers of Agri. Departments, Pak Army, CAA, Rangers etc. for safe use of Pesticides. 4 More than 500 PPE kits were provided by NDMA for protection of applications. Only the need­based application of pesticide was made after proper surveillance and indiscriminate use was strictly prohibited. Following weaknesses were observed during the locust control campaign. Severe shortage of technical manpower (Entomologists) with DPP for surveillance and control activities. Very limited quantity of ULV Micronaire sprayers (only 22) in the beginning. Lack of capacity of Aerial Wing of DPP. Acute shortage of vehicles for mounting ULV sprayers. Most of the weaknesses have been overcome and the rest are being addressed. (Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library) 29. *Mr. Saad Waseem: Will the Minister for National Food Security and Research be pleased to state the steps being taken by the Government with the collaboration of Provincial Governments, private sector and other stakeholders to promote value addition of indigenous agriculturist products in the country? Reply not received. 30. *Ms. Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak: Will the Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination be pleased to state: (a) the names and details of diseases caused by water and air pollution in our country indicating also the percentage/number of patients affected by each of these diseases annually in Pakistan; and 5 (b) the protective measures being adopted by our Government to reduce the prevalence of such air and water borne diseases in the country? Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination: (a) ————————————————————————————————————— Prevalence (Number Rate /100,000 AIR BORNE DISEASES of cases per year)* population (numbers in one lac population)* ————————————————————————————————————— Tuberculosis 32,578,730 14,540.00 Lower respiratory infections (pneumonia, 315,603 140.85 Bronchiolitis and bronchitis) Upper respiratory infections (Mumps, 6,354,262 2,835.93 tonsillitis, pharyngitis) Otitis media (Middle ear Infection) 5,633,941 2,514.45 Meningitis 401,311 179.11 Encephalitis 176,930 78.96 Diphtheria 18 0.01 Whooping cough 157,522 70.30 Measles 10,209 4.56 AIR POLLUTION DISEASES Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 3056397 1364.08 Asthma 3192552 1424.85 Tracheal, Bronchus and lung cancer. 19,632 8.76 Ischemic Heart diseases 4,101,096 1,830.33 Stroke 1,563,878 697.96 WATER BORNE DISEASES Diarrheal diseases 4,403,176 1,965.15 Typhoid fever 74,748 33.36 Paratyphoid fever 30,253 13.50 Intestinal nematode infections 50,850,311 22,694.66 (worm infestation) Polio 147 (2019 year) ­ Acute hepatitis A 554,999 247.70 Acute hepatitis E 67,056 29.93 ————————————————————————————————————— * IHME Burden of Diseases data Pakistan estimates 2019. 6 (b) 1. Prevention of air borne diseases The control and prevention of airborne transmission of infections is not simple; it requires the control of airflow with the use of specially designed ventilation systems, the practice of antiseptic techniques, wearing personalized protective equipment (PPE), and performing basic infection prevention measures. Other prevention tips include good ventilation to swap indoor and outdoor air.Ventilation methods, such as opening a window or using fans, help to exchange dirty air should be adopted. Reducing the public health impacts of air pollution requires addressing the main sources of pollution, including inefficient fossil fuel combustion from motor vehicle transport, power generation and improving energy efficiency in buildings and manufacturing. Reducing the health effects from urban air pollution is largely requires the attention of individuals and requires action by public authorities at all levels (National, Regional/Provincial etc.). The public health sector is playing a leading role in involving a multisectoral approach for prevention of exposure to air pollution, by engaging with and supporting the work of other sectors (i.e. transport, housing, energy, industry) to develop and implement long­term policies and programs aimed to reduce air pollution and improve health. 2. Prevention of water borne diseases There are several ways to prevent these illnesses: Use good environmental management. Flush or discard any stool in the toilet and clean surrounding area using hot water and detergent. A chlorine­based disinfectant is recommended. Practice good personal hygiene. Frequent and careful hand washing is important among all age groups, for at least 20 seconds Take food safety precautions Wash and/or peel all raw vegetables and fruits before eating. Drink and eat only pasteurized dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream) and juices. 7 Thoroughly cook all meats (meat, poultry and seafood). For example, ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 71°C/1 60°F. Drink properly treated water. Water from private water supplies should be routinely tested twice a year for Total Coliform and E.