The Demining Toolbox

The global landmine problem can be solved provided we are willing to devote the necessary resources to its solution. Experts no longer talk in terms of hundreds of years but rather of decades. Humanitarian mine clearance, aimed at clearing unsafe areas for use by local civilian populations, has developed enormously since the first tentative programs started in the mid-1990s. Better understanding of the scale and nature of the problem enable us today to see more clearly how these problems can be solved. There is no single, simple solution to the global landmine problem. Every single area affected by mines has its own special characteristics, depending on the extent, duration and nature of the problem. Landscape, climate and existing infrastructure also impose limits, as to how each specific problem can be solved. A mine infested area in the mountainous regions of Iraqi Kurdistan into which, for both political and geographic reasons, it is difficult to transport technical equipment, demands solutions different from demining operations in Sarajevo in Bosnia, in the heart of Europe. Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) has developed an adjustable toolbox in response to the many challenges represented by minefields around the world. These instruments, a variety of methods and technologies, can be deployed where they are most suitable. We call this our demining toolbox.

Mine Awareness

Those who are compelled to live in mined areas before the mines have been removed undergo mine security training aimed at reducing the risk of detonating a mine or an unexploded shell. The training is aimed at both children and grown-ups, and can substantially reduce the number of mine accidents. Drama, cartoons, posters and the like, are used in raising awareness among the population.

Mapping Mine Affected Areas

In order to gain an over-view of the mine problem in a given area, all available information related to the suspected and confirmed mine fields, is collected and systematised and can be coupled with Geographic Information Systems. A complete survey of the mine problem in an area, the nature of the places which have been mined, their locality and effect, eases the prioritising of resources, measurements of possible results, and the devising of realistic plans.

Manual Demining

This method is used worldwide. Deminers systematically search a minefield with metal detectors and prodders in order to locate possible hidden mines. When a suspicious object is detected, the surrounding soil is carefully removed and the mines are defused or detonated. Manual demining is work and time consuming, but very reliable, and has the advantage of not requiring large investments to get started. Manpower is recruited and trained locally, and therefore manual demining has the additional advantage of creating employment.

Mechanical Mine Clearance

Armoured machines with various forms of earthremoving equipment, rotating chains, shares and the like, are driven over the minefields. The machines reveal, destroy or explode mines lying in the ground. Manual deminers, preferably equipped with dogs, go over the area to assure all mines have been detonated. Mechanical mine clearance is effective in suitable areas, and has proved extremely useful in defining mine fields. A common problem is ignorance as to where the minefields are located, and a machine can effectively limit the area of search. The development of mechanical mine clearance has progressed from heavy military equipment to lighter, more flexible civilian machinery.

 

Dogs

Dogs can be trained to detect the remnant of explosives. Mine seeking dogs can thus be particularly effective in detecting mines in difficult terrain, especially in areas where mines have been scattered unsystematically. Mine dogs can be used in a variety of ways. They have traditionally been used in possible mine fields where they mark a mine every time they come across one, and the mine will be removed by a deminer. A new and extremely interesting method consists of collecting air samples from possible mined areas, for instance along roads. The samples are brought to a base where they are checked by the dogs. If a dog indicates remnants of explosives in a sample, the area from which the sample was taken is cleared manually.