Complete demining of Ukraine with traditional methods may take hundred years – UNDP
With traditional methods of demining it may take a hundred years to fully clear all war-affected regions of Ukraine, while innovative approaches could significantly accelerate the process, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Crisis Bureau Director Shoko Noda has said.
"With sustained effort and improved technology, significant progress could be made within several years, but with traditional methods of demining it may well take a hundred years to fully clear and certify all affected regions as safe, especially considering the continuous nature of the conflict and contamination," she said in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency.
UNDP, in collaboration with tech partners and national authorities, is exploring the use of drones, technical survey dogs, and other innovative technologies in humanitarian demining, Noda said.
She also said that recent testing of mine-detection innovations organized by UNDP in Ukraine revealed promising advances in the methods used to detect landmines and explosive remnants of war. The innovation teams achieved results as high as 78% for detecting items on the surface, around 70% for detecting metal and buried items, and 62% for detecting plastic items.
UNDP is also working with the national authorities to include dogs in clearance efforts, and UNDP, the Mines Advisory Group, animal training organization APOPO and other international partners, have supported the opening of a new dog training centre, Noda said, adding that trained dogs can inspect up to 1,500 square meters of land daily, up to 75 times faster than a human.