Final Post: Cleaning Up Pollution for Future Generations

(Baonghean) - Bombs, mines, and explosives left over from the war are a burning issue for many countries, including Vietnam, and a daily threat to many people. A project to clean up bomb and mine contamination is still being implemented in Nghe An with the hope that the pain from the bomb and mine disaster will truly end at the time when the war ended more than a third of a century.

Every year, the Government has provided much support to bomb and mine victims through social welfare programs, using experienced professional forces, using the Government's priority budget to clear part of contaminated land, minimize accidents caused by bombs and mines, improve the living environment, and ensure the safety of people's lives and property. In Nghe An, the Provincial People's Committee assigned the Provincial Military Command to be the investor, signed with BOMICEN to establish the Project "Disposal of bombs, mines, and explosives left over from the war in Nghe An province, period 2010-2015".

The area determined in 16/20 districts and cities is 30,000 hectares. Of which, 7,500 hectares are cleared of bombs and mines to a depth of 0.3m, and 22,500 hectares are cleared of bombs and mines to a depth of 3m. The clearance of bombs, mines and explosives is carried out by the specialized engineering force of Military Region 4, Nghe An Provincial Military Command in coordination with BOMICEN.

Captain Cao Xuan Bao - Engineering Department under the Provincial Military Command added: "The project was implemented very carefully, including 4 steps, from technical survey; training for staff; implementation of bomb, mine and explosive clearance; supervision, quality control and completion of documents, acceptance, handover and reporting. Therefore, the cleared land area is guaranteed to be clean of pollution, creating conditions for people to live and work safely."

2011 was the year the Engineering Department - Provincial Military Command organized many bomb disposal operations in the province. In October 2011, the unit organized bomb disposal operations in Khe Chi village, Thach Giam commune, Tuong Duong district (coordinates 45263), 4km south of National Highway 7, about 10km from the bomb discovery site (in Thach Duong village, Thach Giam), in Cu village, Chuu Luu commune, Khanh Thanh village, Nam Can commune - Ky Son in November 2011. Notably, in Ky Son district, after the flood in June 2011, 4 bombs were discovered in the district: 1 in Muong Xen Town Primary School, 1 in Cu village, Chieu Luu commune, 1 about 200m from Cau Tam village, Ta Ca commune, on Highway 7B and 1 in Noong De village, Nam Can commune (Ky Son). After the discovery, Ky Son district coordinated with the District Military Command and the Police to cordon off the area, barricade the area where people and livestock were prohibited from passing, and widely inform the people in the commune and surrounding areas about the time and place of bomb destruction. The District Military Command advised the District People's Committee to establish a Mine Disposal Council, coordinate with the Provincial Military Command's Engineering Department to organize bomb destruction in accordance with the technical procedures and safety rules prescribed by the General Department of Technology and the Engineering Command.

Captain Cao Xuan Bao said: "Bomb disposal is an extremely dangerous and complicated job, requiring extremely tight organization, unified and smooth coordination between forces and departments, and strict compliance with all bomb disposal regulations."

Cleaning up bomb, mine and explosive contamination is not a simple task, it cannot be completed overnight, it is a real challenge. But this is the responsibility of the previous generation to the future generations, to the development of the country.

On December 22, 2010, the Prime Minister signed a decision to establish the State Steering Committee on the National Action Program to Overcome the Consequences of Post-War Bombs and Mines (referred to as Steering Committee 504). The Prime Minister is the Head of the Steering Committee. Steering Committee 504 is responsible for researching and proposing to the Prime Minister directions and solutions to have a strategy to mobilize and call for funding to attract domestic and foreign resources to quickly overcome the consequences of post-war bombs and mines in Vietnam, and to propose participation in the clearance of bombs, mines and explosives abroad according to the agreements signed by the Government of Vietnam with other countries.

Thanh Le - Thanh Duy