The conference aims to raise public and international awareness of the National Action Programme on Settling Consequences of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) in the 2010 - 2025 period, Major General Xuan told an international press conference in Hanoi on March 4.
Without international aid, it will take Vietnam 300 years to clear all the bombs and mines left during the American War in Vietnam, he said.
The programme currently prioritises mine clearance in heavily affected areas, particularly in border localities and within six central provinces.
Infrastructure building in cleared zones is another major issue, according to the officer.
According to preliminary statistics, since 1975, UXOs have claimed more than 40,000 lives and left about 60,000 injured, mostly rural adults and children. The volume of mines and UXOs left by the war is now estimated at 800,000 tonnes, contaminating over 20% of the country’s land. Vietnam needs about US$10 billion to tackle this dangerous pollution.
The situation is particularly dire in the provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien- Hue and Quang Ngai. In these localities 10,529 people have been killed and 12,231 injured.
This year, the Vietnam Mine Action Centre will begin operation with the aim of co-ordinating funding sources and communicating the National Mine Action Programme to deal with the Unexploded Ordnances, known as Program 504.
In April 2010, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung approved the programme with the aim of mobilising domestic and international resources to clear ordnance to help ensure safety for the people living in localities plagued by UXOs. which in turn will aid the country’s socio-economic development.
