BiH will not be cleared of mines by 2019 as planned because there is not enough money for humanitarian demining operations.
“For the realization of the Mine Action Strategy of BiH in the period 2016-2019 is planned financial projection of 57.7 million BAM per year, which would solve a third of a problem with mines,” said Goran Zdrale, senior associate for analysis and reporting of MAC.
The Center for Mine Action in BiH, in collaboration with the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), is currently conducting activities on the revision of the Strategy for the output of Mine Action Strategy of BiH for the period 2019-2025.
At the basis of the current analysis and assessment, for complete solving of the mine problem in BiH on time, it will be needed 300 million BAM.
According to Zdrale, BiH is the most vulnerable country in Europe when it comes to contamination of mines, and it has suspected area of 1,118 square kilometers.
Besides BiH and Croatia, the most vulnerable countries in the world, when it comes to contamination by mines, are: Turkey, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Angola, Chad, Cambodia and Thailand.
“Currently, the most important challenge represents the change of the concept of mine action in BiH from the traditional concept of ‘Land Release’, which, based on the result of test phase (2014 – 2016), should become cheaper and speed up the whole process,” explained Goran Zdrale.
(Source: Radiosarajevo.ba)
