The residents of the central province of Quang Tri are still dealing with the consequences of unexploded ordnance thirty five years after national reunification.
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| Wartime unexploded ordnance have claimed lives of thousands of innocent people |
Quang Tri has recorded over 7,000 victims of wartime bombs and landmines since 1975, 31% of whom are children, said the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA).
MoLISA recently addressed the issue at a seminar to review the progress of some clearance projects in the province, noting that over 2,500 of the afflicted have died.
Quang Tri is one of the most affected localities, with up to 83.3% of its land affected by unexploded ordnance, according to the ministry.
Wartime explosives have hindered local socio-economic development.
MoLISA Deputy Minister Bui Hong Linh said, “The Government have carried out several programmes to help clear the remnants of war in Quang Tri.”
According to Linh, the latest project has helped clear a combined 650 hectares of land in Quang Tri over the past year. The USD1.5 million project was funded by the Japanese government via the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF).
The project, which benefited nine communes in Gio Linh, Trieu Phong, Vinh Linh, and Hai Lang Districts, has collected and defused 1,645 bombs and explosives.
He added that local residents in Quang Tri are in desperate need of support to relieve the impact of war and provide particular aid to the victims of Agent Orange(AO)/dioxin.
