Environmental official: About 3 billion square meters are contaminated with mines

POSTED ON[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] BY [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[size=52]Environmental official: About 3 billion square meters are contaminated with mines[/size]

[size=45]Many Iraqi cities face the specter of mines and remnants of war, while some of them report from time to time victims and injured as a result of the dispersal of some of these remnants, some of which date back to the wars that Iraq fought with Iran in the eighties of the last century, the Gulf War and other wars.[/size]
[size=45]Based on surveys and statements, campaigns conducted by several responsible authorities in the General Directorate of Civil Defense and Military Engineering in the Ministry of Interior and Defense, as well as the Directorate of Mine Affairs in the Ministry of Environment, campaigns from time to time to cleanse some Iraqi areas of these wastes.[/size]
[size=45]Removal and disinfection mechanism[/size]
[size=45]The Director of the Department of Mine and War Remnants Affairs in the Ministry of Environment, Dhafer Al-Saadi, told Al-Mada that "the area contaminated with mines and war remnants after 2003 amounted to about 6 billion square meters."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Saadi added, "The authorities concerned with this file were able to clean and disinfect 53% of that area, and about two billion and 700 million square meters are polluted so far, and work is underway to purify it according to the approved contexts."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "The areas in which there are evidence and requests are surveyed through non-technical surveys at first, and then technical surveys and removal," noting that "the remnants of war that Iraq suffers from are mines, war projectiles and clusters, which contain explosives, and may record human losses." .[/size]
[size=45]Al-Saadi pointed out that "the area exposed to mine contamination in all Iraqi provinces is 925 square kilometers, and the rest of the area mentioned above is contaminated with clusters, war remnants and explosive devices left by ISIS in the liberated areas, some of which date back to previous wars."[/size]
[size=45]He explained, "Basra governorate is the most polluted with an area of ​​2,250 square kilometers, as it has witnessed battles during the past years."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Saadi confirmed, "The Mine Affairs Department is responsible for the national program for mine affairs in Iraq, and there are international agreements in Geneva to develop strategic plans to remove those mines from Iraq, in coordination with the Ministry of Defense, Interior, Civil Defense and the Explosive Control Directorate."[/size]
[size=45]He concluded his speech by saying, "The international effort is concentrated in the liberated areas, and currently the international effort has had a presence in the southern regions to expedite the process of clearing the areas."[/size]
[size=45]work continues[/size]
[size=45]In turn, the General Directorate of Civil Defense stated that the process of clearing Iraqi areas of mines and war remnants is a priority in densely populated areas, to prevent disasters and preserve the lives of citizens.[/size]
[size=45]Director of Media and Relations of the Directorate, Brigadier General Jawdat Abdel Rahman, told Al-Mada that "the efforts to remove mines are focused largely in areas where there are residents, where they have a priority within the removal and disinfection plans."[/size]
[size=45]He noted, "The Unexploded Bombs Department is working with great vigor to survey the areas on the border strip between Iraq and Iran, and this technical and non-technical survey culminated in the removal of large quantities of remnants, which are destroyed on site."[/size]
[size=45]And Abdul Rahman said, "The areas that come in second place in terms of importance in this work are the areas near the oil fields, in order to facilitate the work of oil companies and to remove the impact of the file of war remnants on the Iraqi economy."[/size]
[size=45]He added, "We were able to return many Iraqi families to their areas, which were suffering from the danger of war remnants," noting that "the remnants of war treatment department provided many victims, as well as the injury of a number of its members as a result of the explosion of some remnants as a result of the error. Our work is not repeated twice.”[/size]
[size=45]He continued, "Basra Governorate is considered one of the most polluted areas, and most efforts are focused on it, as it was a contact area in many of the wars that Iraq fought."[/size]
[size=45]Abdul Rahman warned, "The polluted areas in Iraq are large, the most prominent of which are those that extend on the border strip with Iran, passing through Basra, Wasit, Muthanna, Dhi Qar, up to Salah al-Din and the Makhoul fields."[/size]
[size=45]Abdel Rahman went on, “The need for more advanced support and equipment, our equipment meets the work requirements, but our ambition is to equip us with more modern equipment to reduce the number of casualties among the cadres working in clearing areas contaminated with war remnants.”[/size]
[size=45]In 2014 and 2015, Western funding for demining, risk education, and victim assistance in the country increased by more than 40 percent, from $36 million to nearly $52 million, according to the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor.[/size]
[size=45]Earlier this year, the United Nations Mine Action Service in Iraq confirmed that significant progress had been made to clear the country of remnants of war.[/size]
[size=45][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]