Almost one third of Ukraine needs to be cleared of ordnance, ministry says - Reuters
KYIV, Aug 12 (Reuters) - About 27% of Ukraine's territory will need to be cleared of mines and explosives, according to the latest estimates by the ecology ministry nearly six months since Russia began its invasion and bombardment of its neighbour.
So far Ukrainian authorities have cleared more than 620 square kilometres (240 square miles) of land that were littered with thousands of explosive devices, including 2,000 bombs dropped from the air.
Nearly 300,000 square kilometres (116,000 square miles) are still seen as "contaminated", according to data released by Ukraine's Emergency Services. Making that area safe could take a decade, the government said.
The U.S. State Department approved $89 million worth of assistance to help Ukraine equip and train 100 teams to clear landmines and unexploded ordnance for a year.
The latest demining efforts were focused on the northeastern region of Sumy, where Ukrainian authorities conducted controlled explosions on Thursday to clear landmines.
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According to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, which updates its website on a daily basis, as of Friday more than 175,000 munitions have already been neutralized and an area of 67,639 hectares (167,000 acres) has been surveyed.
The removal of mines from Ukraine's territorial waters was likely to take five to seven years, Monastyrskyi said.
"It is the most difficult type of demining," he said.
The operations to remove unexploded devices from the land and waters may not be enough to protect the ecosystem and human health, environmentalists said.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/almost-one-third-ukraine-needs-be-cleared-ordnance-ministry-says-2022-08-12/