Competent agencies on March 14 successfully handled a large bomb and a naval mine discovered in the central provinces of Quang Binh and Quang Ngai.

Competent agencies handled a naval mine in Duc Pho district of the central province of Quang Ngai 

The Military Command in Quang Ninh district of Quang Binh province joined hands with the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) to defuse a bomb weighing 750 pounds (350 kg) in a local house in the province’s Quan Hau township.

The bomb measures 1.2 m in length. Some local households had to evacuate from dangerous areas. 

Also on May 14, the Engineer Corps of the Military Command of Quang Ngai province found and handled a naval mine in Duc Pho district.

Measuring 1m in length and 100 kg in weight, it was discovered at a salt marsh in the district on March 6. 

According to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Vietnam is one of the countries most contaminated with unexploded ordnances (UXOs). 

It is estimated that about 800,000 tonnes of UXOs were left across the country after the war ended in 1975, mostly in the central region. Some 6.13 million hectares of land are polluted with or suspected of being polluted with UXOs, accounting for 18.82 percent of the country’s total area.

Since 1975, UXO incidents have killed more than 40,000 people and injured 60,000 others, most of whom were breadwinners of their families or children.

Quang Tri pools resources to overcome post-war UXO

The People’s Committee of central Quang Tri province announced on March 15 that it has approved a project on technical consultation, training and capacity building for the clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from the war.

The project is funded by the US Golden West Humanitarian Foundation (GWHF) at a total cost of nearly 95,000 USD. 

It will equip two disposal teams, including 24 technicians, with necessary skills while helping the provincial Military Command establish technical teams to maintain training standards. 

Quang Tri also worked with foreign non-governmental organisations and the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) to launch the RENEW project to expand survey and clear UXO in Huong Hoa mountainous district. 

Between now and 2021, the UK’s Mines Advisory Group will offer additional 2.5 million USD to Quang Tri to clear the deadly war legacy in its sixth stage. 

Meanwhile, the NPA will provide over 395,000 GBP (524,000 USD) for the province to carry out the project “Restoring environment and overcoming war consequences – survey and clearance of explosives”. 

Quang Tri is the most severely contaminated by bombs and mines across the country which has killed over 3,400 and injured 5,100 others. 

In 1996, Quang Tri is the first province nationwide to launch an international cooperation project on overcoming the consequences of UXO. 

Over the past 23 years, Quang Tri has mobilised over 80 million USD from sponsors, domestic and foreign organisations to the effort.

VNA