|
|
LANDMINE |
|
DEMINING |
| A landmine is a dangerous explosive device that is placed in or above the ground and can be activated by person, animal or vehicle. Mines are used to secure disputed borders or to restrict enemy movement during times of war. Unfortunately, once a conflict has ended, mines and other debris of war are left behind posing a threat to the civilian population. |
The deminer begins his or her day very early in the morning-often before sunrise. Before entering the minefield, all personnel must don their Kevlar safety vest and helmet. Once in the minefield, the deminer is assigned a meter-wide lane to work in where he will spend the day searching for metal signals and clearing any mines they may find. The deminer’s tools are mostly low-tech gardening implements, with the exception of the metal detector which can cost thousands of dollars. Once a deminer has checked his tools and calibrated his metal detector he is ready to begin work:
|
1. First he uses their eyes to look around carefully for danger signs such as a tripwire or exposed mine. He will also search for fragmentation and other bits of junk metal that will set off his detector. |
|
|
|
|
|
2. If deminer is in working in minefields with dense vegetation he will use shears to cut away the foliage. In open areas, ‘weed-whackers’ or mechanical brush-cutters, can be used to speed up this process. |
|
|
|
|
|
3. Afterwards, the deminer will employ their metal detector to find any metal in the soil. He passes his detector of the ground, listen for audible signals. Deminer calibrates his detectors each time he begin searching for metal to make sure they are fine-tuned. |
|
|
|
|
|
4. When a signal is confirmed, three small sticks are used to give the deminer a visual picture of the metal item’s location |
|
|
|
|
|
5. Working slowly and carefully, the deminer then scrapes away the earth around the signal to expose it. Scrap metal is put in a bucket and disposed of later. The process then begins all over again. If the deminer discovers a landmine or item of UXO, he calls his superior or section commander to destroy it in situ.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anti-Personnel (AP) Mines are designed to kill, wound or obstruct one or more individuals. There are two categories of AP mines based on the type of injuries they inflict: blast mines and fragmentation mines. Of the more than 700 types of known AP mines, blast mines are among the most common. Blast mines are typically buried in the ground and are pressure-activated (by foot for example). Fragmentation mines contain shrapnel in addition to explosives and may be initiated by direct pressure, trip wire or remote detonation. Stake mines, bounding mines (“Bouncing Betty”) and directional mines (such as the well-known “Claymore”) represent the three classes of fragmentation mines.
Anti-tank (AT) Mines are designed to be detonated by 350 to750 pounds of pressure and contain enough explosive to destroy a tank or vehicle, as well as the people in or around the vehicle. They are commonly laid in transportation routes hindering free movement of refugees.
Unexploded ordnance (UXO) consists of explosive weapons (bombs, rockets, mortars, missiles, shells, grenades, ammunition, etc.) that did not explode when they were employed. UXO litters many war-torn countries and even though many of these items may be decades old, they are often unstable and can detonate with grave results
|
| |
|
|
|
|
