At the meeting (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam National Mine Action Centre (VNMAC), in coordination with the Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) Vietnam, held ameeting in Hanoi onNovember 17 to review the second phase of a technical survey projectin the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.
The VNMAC Technical SurveyProject is the joint project between VNMAC and NPA Vietnam, funded by the USDepartment of State's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA). The project, implemented fromJanuary to October this year, aimed to survey244 spots and 163 areas to identify Confirmed Hazardous Areas (CHA), conduct an efficient and cost effective land release approach ineight communes in A Luoi district of Thua Thien Hue utilizingnon-technical and technical survey, and to report it to the national database.
Following 12 months of work, the project has completed 16 tasks, with 910.5 hectares of land surveyed, and 619 items ofexplosive handled. The result wasthanks to the hard work of the teams and supportive cooperation from Thua Thien-Hue province and ALuoi district.
TheVNMAC proposed ending the second phase and building the third phase of theproject. It also asked for permission to perfect the technical methods for usein mine clearance activities across the country.
The wars in Vietnam have endedfor a long time, but the amount of post-war unexploded ordnance (UXO) has beenextremely large, contaminating about 6.13 million hectares of land, accountingfor 18.71 percent of national land area, posing athreat to local people’s life, and directly impacting on social security and thecountry’s development.
Between 1945 and 1975, thevolume of bombs, mines, and ordnance used by foreign countries in the wars inVietnam was 15 million tonnes, four timesas many as thevolume used in the World War II.
Thua Thien - Hue is one of theprovinces with highest level of landmines contamination in the country, withmore than 170,400ha (accounting for 35 percent of the province's total area).
About 70km to the west of Huecity, A Luoi mountainous district is located on the Ho Chi Minh Trail which served as an important artery for the NorthernVietnamese Army to transport weapons and personnel during the war./.
VNA
