Afghanistan: Mine action pays

Islamabad (Office of the United Nations Co-ordinator for Afghanistan), 28 June 2001 - The World Bank, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has recently completed a study on the Socio-economic Impact of Mine Action in Afghanistan (SIMAA). "Mine clearance is not only an essential humanitarian task, but is also a productive investment in terms of future livelihoods of affected communities," said Dan Kelly, Manager of the Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan MAPA). The economic returns of mine action have been found to be high in general, and especially in the clearance of irrigation systems in areas with good conditions for agriculture.
Mine victims still number between 150 to 300 a month. In addition, it is estimated that access to 87,500 houses has been blocked by landmines, constituting one of the major obstacles to the return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their villages. In economic terms, death from mine incidents is estimated to represent a loss of USD 12,000 per person, while a typical mine casualty causes a loss of USD 9,000 per person.

Aside from the prevention of drastic human loss, the benefits generated by mine action are very substantial. About 70% of Afghans are engaged in agriculture. Production on cleared agricultural lands generates an annual benefit up to USD 520,000 per square kilometre in certain northern provinces. Moreover, clearing irrigated areas essential to agriculture generates an even greater benefit, amounting to as much as USD 1.5 million per square kilometre annually in certain regions. Finally, the returns from clearing roads are also considerable, at over USD 250,000 annually per kilometre.

In 1999, the cost of clearing mined areas was only 77 US cents per square metre, and 3 US cents per square metre for former battlefields. In the same year, the net benefits of the MAPA mine clearance programme were estimated at USD 40 million. Part of the reason for the cost effectiveness of the programme is also attributable to the fact that it is almost entirely run by Afghans, with 4,800 Afghans employed in mine action.

There are various mine clearance techniques but the most cost-effective are dog teams. However, dogs cannot be used on all types of terrain. Currently, dogs clear about half of the area de-mined, which substantially reduces the overall cost of MAPA.

The study noted that most Afghans could resume a normal, productive life with the clearing of the remaining 339 square kilometres of high priority mined areas. If the funds for mine clearing are maintained, this process may take from seven to ten years.

"The bottom line is that this study conclusively shows that mine action pays, and MAPA is therefore very cost-effective," said Antonio Donini, deputy UN co-ordinator for Afghanistan.

The Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan is the oldest and the largest mine action programme in the world. The programme has cleared over 1.6 million explosives from former battlefields, agricultural land, roads, and residential areas. Over four million Afghans have so far received mine awareness training.

For more information, please contact: Stephanie Bunker, Public Information Officer and Spokesperson, Office of the United Nations Co-ordinator for Afghanistan 92 51 2211451 x415; mobile 0320 4261325