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More than 750 years or a decade. What are the ways to speed up the demining of Ukraine?

An estimation was recently published in Western media that claims that Ukraine would require 757 years to be cleared of mines using the traditional minesweeping method. To find out if there is any faster alternative for clearing the land of explosives, The Page sent a request to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Ukraine and other experts.

Mitigating the impact of mine contamination on Ukraine’s economy

Quote"We are working with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, the Ministry of Economy, as well as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to try to estimate the value of contaminated land and then prioritize the land that is most important from an economic perspective. Therefore, it is not only about the area that needs to be cleared but also about the most economically important lands that need to be used again as soon as possible," Paul Heslop, head of the UNDP Mine Action Program in Ukraine, told The Page about the current approach to demining.

Paul Heslop believes that, with the necessary resources available and prioritizing the most valuable land, the economic impact of mines and unexploded shells in Ukraine can be reduced by at least 80% within the next 10 years. However, clearing the country’s whole territory of all mines can take many more years.

Technologies that can speed up the demining of Ukraine

Robot-assisted demining was among the technologies that could speed up the process of removing explosive devices named by the Center for Food and Land Use Research at Kyiv School of Economics (KSE Agrocenter) contacted by The Page.

Quote"Such demining machines can demine about half a hectare in a day, while a manual demining team would take up to two months to cover such an area. Other developments, such as the identification of potentially mined areas using drones, are currently experimental and not widely used for humanitarian demining purposes," KSE Agrocenter replied.
Equipment of the State Emergency Service. Photo: State Emergency Service

Equipment of the State Emergency Service. Photo: State Emergency Service

Meanwhile, the UNDP told The Page that they were already testing drones with special sensors to assess land contamination. These unmanned vehicles will help inspect up to 1,000 square kilometers per week.

Quote"There are many technologies, such as various search methods, detectors, search systems, platforms bearing such systems, demining machines, and land preparation machines, which help specialists work faster and safer. There are also detection systems that utilize animals, such as mine detection dogs, advanced computers, and artificial intelligence, as well as novel skills and methods," says Paul Heslop.

He predicted when interviewed by The Page that Ukraine would become a global innovation leader in humanitarian mine action within a few years.

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technologies demining