Chabahar, I.R. Iran
Chabahar (est. pop 50,000) is a port city on the Oman Sea
in the south-eastern corner of I.R. Iran. It is nearly 2,000
km south-east of Tehran by road, or about a two and a half
hour flight by air.
The coastal plains near the town are a favourite habitat of
the Desert Locust. Vegetation is sparse, the soil is sandy
and annual rainfall is low. Usually less than 100 mm falls
in a single year, mostly during the winter and spring
(November - April). When rains do occur, conditions become
favourable and allow Desert Locust adults to lay eggs which
hatch a few weeks later. If rains happen to be particularly
good along the coastal plains which extend from Pakistan to
the Strait of Hormuz, locust numbers can rapidly increase.
This occurred in 1996 and, as a result, ground control
operations were required in cropping areas and in wild
vegetation on the Vashnam Plains, about 20 km north-east of
Chabahar as well as in several other areas. These operations
were undertaken to protect crops and to reduce the overall
locust populations. Those adults that escaped detection and
control eventually moved east toward the Indo-Pakistan
summer breeding areas during June and July. However, the
number of adults that arrived in these areas was low.
The Agriculture Office in Chabahar is responsible for
monitoring the Desert Locust population by undertaking
surveys along the coastal plains during the spring rainy
season. They report to Tehran about the situation who in
turn send information to FAO HQ for assessment and
forecasting in order to keep affected countries and donors
informed of the situation and likely developments.
Chabahar beach [25kb]
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