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| An US Army’s Mark 82 bomb found in the province earlier this month. — Photo courtesy of Peace Tree Việt Nam |
Viet Nam News
QUẢNG TRỊ — The central Quảng Trị Province will receive US$12 million to resume the search for and defusal of unexploded explosive devices left by the United States Army after the war in the province.
The fund comes from the US Department of State and other international sources, according to the province People’s Committee. The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) will conduct a programme from 2018 to 2020 to further the investigation on wartime mines and bombs.
The project investigation will cover 50 million square metres of land in a locality that was not searched previously for explosive devices.
The project targets the defusal of at least 42,000 devices and holds 350 courses to train some 4,000 people in the areas that are likely to still contain unexploded bombs .
It is expected to benefit an estimated 85,000 residents in the province and help build a digital database of areas prone to wartime explosive devices.
The project will include 21 search teams; three teams for community work; and six teams for assistance, training and logistics work.
This is the sixth project for MAG in the province since 1999. During the previous five projects, MAG searched some 45 million square metres of land, locating and defusing some 176,179 explosive devices.
Quảng Trị was on the border between North and South Việt Nam during wartime. It, thus, received tonnes of bombs released by the US Air Force, making the province the top locality for unexploded devices both on land and underground. Wartime explosive devices occupied 83 per cent of its total land area.
The province also has the highest percentage of disabled people caused by post-war explosive devices in the country, that is more than 80 per cent. — VNS
