Mine action includes any activity which aims to reduce the social, economic and environmental impact of mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Mine action is not just about demining; it is also about people and societies, and how they are affected by landmine contamination.
The objective of mine action is to reduce the risk from landmines to a level where people can live safely; in which economic, social and health development can occur free from the constraints imposed by landmine contamination; and in which the victims’ needs can be addressed.
Accordingly, mine action comprises five complementary groups of activities:
A number of other enabling activities are required to support these five components of mine action, including assessment and planning, the mobilisation and prioritisation of resources, information management, human skills development and management training, quality management and the application of effective, appropriate and safe equipment.
Source: Geneva International Centre for Humanitariab Demining at www.gichd.org [1]
More than 35 years after the war ended, Vietnam is still contaminated with hundreds of thousands of tonnes of landmines and UXOs (unexploded ordnances) scattered all over the country's 64 provinces, with particular concentrations in the central provinces and in certain border areas. These dangerous war legacies contaminate all types of landscapes: forests, mountains, pastures, cultivated land, lakes, rivers, streams, and coastal settings.
It is estimated that UXOs of various types make up 97 per cent and landmines 3 per cent of the current contamination. Only 20 to 25 per cent of explosives left by the war had been cleared up by 2006.
Contamination lies on the surface in some areas, but considerable quantities also remain below the surface, generally at depths down to five metres, while some heavy ordnance has been found at depths in the 10-to-20-metre range.
For more information, please see the Landmines Working Group Resources and Links [2] page.
Links:
[1] http://www.gichd.org/
[2] https://ngocentre.org.vn/node/212