How much does a landmine cost?
It is estimated that there are 110 million land mines in the ground right now. An equal amount is in stockpiles waiting to be planted or destroyed. Mines cost between $3 and $30, but the cost of removing them is $300 to $1000.
Are there still land mines in Afghanistan?
Landmines and other unexploded battlefield detritus, commonly known as unexploded ordnance (UXO), contaminate at least 724 million square meters of land in Afghanistan. Only two of Afghanistan’s twenty-nine provinces are believed to be free of landmines. The most heavily mined provinces are Herat and Kandahar.
Are mines still used today?
The majority of the countries remaining outside the treaty keep stockpiles that collectively total around 50 million landmines. If not destroyed, those landmines remain ready to be used any time. The biggest stockpiles of antipersonnel landmines are held by: Russia, Pakistan, India, China, and the United States.
Where landmines are present today?
The areas most affected by land mines include: Egypt (23 million, mostly in border regions); Angola (9-15 million); Iran (16 million); Afghanistan (about 10 million); Iraq (10 million); China (10 million); Cambodia (up to 10 million); Mozambique (about 2 million); Bosnia (2-3 million); Croatia (2 million); Somalia (up …
How does a landmine kill you?
These mines are designed to destroy an object in close proximity, such as a person’s foot or leg. A blast mine is designed to break the targeted object into fragments, which can cause secondary damage, such as infection and amputation. These mines can cause injury up to 200 meters away and kill at closer distances.
Why are there mines in Afghanistan?
Willoughby says the Najibullah government laid new mines to protect its main supply routes and garrison towns before its collapse in 1992. Subsequently, more mines were laid by factions trying to hold Kabul and other areas against the Taliban, which captured the capital in 1996.
How long does a landmine last?
A land mine can remain active for up to 50 years. Land mines are cheap and effective when deployed, but are expensive and dangerous to remove. Most mines can be boobytrapped, and some of them are just to make the game more interesting. A land mine can remain active for up to 50 years.
Who is in charge of mining in Afghanistan?
The government of Afghanistan has invited more than 200 global companies to explore the minerals in the country. Ministry of mines and petroleum controls all the mining in the country and has its headquarters in Kabul with several regional branches spread across the country.
How often do people die from landmines in Afghanistan?
Mines are a major obstacle to repatriation, relief, rehabilitation and development activities. Landmines kill or maim an estimated ten to twelve people each day in Afghanistan. It is believed that almost 50 percent of landmine victims die due to lack of medical facilities.
Why are there so many landmines in Africa?
In addition, much of its farmable land is unusable because of landmines. “Perhaps the most devastating use of land mines was the random dissection of mines in fields and along access paths to stop peasants from producing food,” notes Human Rights Watch Africa in a report entitled “Land Mines and Economic Life”.
How much would it cost to remove all landmines?
The cost of removing all existing mines would be $50- to $100-billion. According to the ‘International Campaign to Ban Landmines network’, more than 4,200 people, of whom 42% are children, have been falling victim to landmines and ERWs annually in many of the countries affected by war or in post-conflict situations around the world.