Vietnam requires 100 years & $10 billion to clear unexploded mines, bombs

Staff/Asian Correspondent

According to the Vietnaemse government, they will need at least 100 years and close to $10 billion to clear all the unexploded landmines and bombs leftover from previous wars.

This picture taken shows an unearthed Vietnam war era bomb lying on ground near houses in central province of Quang Tri. (Photo: STR/AFP/Getty Images)

The mammoth figure does not even take into account the billions more needed to pay for resettlement and social security in the affected areas.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs estimates that 800,000 tonnes of unexploded mines and bombs remain scattered across 20 percent of the nation’s territory, presenting a continuing and significant risk to its citizens.

These mines and bombs – the often forgotten and deadly legacy of the US war in Vietnam – have killed about 42,130 people and injured 62,160 more.

From 1945 to 1975, the US dropped more than 15 million tonnes of bombs and mines in Vietnam – four times the amount used in the Second World War.

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https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/04/vietnam-requires-100-years-us10-billion-to-clear-unexploded-mines-bombs/