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Vietnam needs billions of USD for landmine clearance
Last update 04/04/2012 11:39:36 AM (GMT+7)
Last update 04/04/2012 11:39:36 AM (GMT+7)
VietNamNet Bridge Vietnam needs over US$10 billion to clear the huge volume of landmines and unexploded ordnances that pollute more than 20 percent of the countrys area, said Deputy PM Nguyen Thien Nhan.
To clean bombs and mines left by the war, Vietnam needs $10 billion and over 100 years, plus billions of USD for resettlement and social welfares in areas that are polluted with bombs and mines, Mr. said at a meeting on April 2 in Hanoi to mark International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action (April 4). The event drew the participation of many international guests, diplomats and victims of landmines.
The Deputy PM stressed that seeking funding from various sources to speed up landmine and unexploded ordnance clearance--in order to basically deal with the consequences of bombs and mines is the mission of the Vietnamese government and the concern of over 80 million Vietnamese people.
He said that landmines and unexploded ordinances seriously affect Vietnams development and threaten the lives of Vietnamese people. Vietnam spends millions of USD on clearing bombs and mines and help victims annually.
After the war, over 40,000 people, including 30,000 children, were reported killed and 60,000 other injured because of landmines and unexploded ordinances. The Vietnamese government will mobilize all resources to deal with the war consequences but Vietnam also needs the assistance of other countries, especially the US, to accelerate this task, Mr. Nhan said.
Mr. Nguyen Thien, Vice Chair of the central province of Ha Tinh, one of the six provinces with the highest density of bombs and mines, said that local residents could see landmines everywhere, when they did farm work, built houses or even when they caught mussels.
Mr. Ho Van Lu, from the central province of Huong Hoa, said that he eye witnessed two accidents caused by unexploded ordinances, which killed several kids.
At the meeting, 34 local organizations donated VND7.5 billion ($330,000) and nine international organizations with $15 million to the national action program to deal with post-war consequences of bombs and mines.
In April 2010, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung approved this program for 2010-2025, which aims to raise domestic and international resources to gradually diminish and completely deal with the consequences of bombs and mines.
Around 6.6 million hectares of land in Vietnam (over 21 percent of the countrys total area) are polluted by 800,000 tons of UXO, except for tons of UXO in the sea.
During 1975-2000, UXO killed more than 4,000 people and turned over 60,000 others into invalids, mainly working-age people and many children.
Annually, Vietnam spends $100 million to clear UXO, not including expenditures in clearing mines for construction.
However, at the current funding and speed, Vietnam will need up to 300 years to clear the entire area. The country aims to fulfill this mission in less than 100 years.
In the next five years, UXO clearance will focus on six central provinces: Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai, where have the highest density of UXO in Vietnam.