Accidental Spread of Contaminated Land Poses Deadly Threat to Safe Areas

As you drive through the city of Basra and the surrounding villages, one thing is abundantly clear, the city is rehabilitating itself and expanding at a rapid rate. The oil-rich area brings an abundance of livelihood opportunities and so the city has seen a large increase to its population in recent years. In addition, many long-term residents are keen to build new homes or improve their current residences.  

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) has worked tirelessly in Basra since 2003 to clear land contaminated with mines and unexploded remnants of war, many dating back more than 40 years to the conflict between Iran and Iraq. Once this land has gone through rigorous surveys, clearance operations and quality assurance checks, the land is released and handed back to the local government.    

There remains more than 1 billion square metres of land to clear in Basra alone[i].  Once filled with palms, farms and villages, this area has remained barren, largely uninhabited and contaminated with high numbers of explosive ordnance ever since. 

Given the continued large-scale contamination across Basra, DRC teams also conduct vital explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) to ensure residents understand the persistent risks posed by these deadly weapons on their safety, how to recognise them and to introduce safe behaviours to mitigate any accidents that may be caused. 

When land is released and handed back to local authorities, it is used for a variety of purposes including agriculture and housing development projects.  In recent years, DRC has witnessed a concerning trend; in order to rebuild or rehabilitate homes, many people have been collecting soil from open areas that are yet to be cleared.  

This is spreading deadly, unexploded ordnance to civilian areas. Villages and land that have been cleared and should guarantee safety from these devices are once again becoming contaminated.  

The tragic consequences of this practise are already manifesting. Numerous incidents have occurred where unexploded ordnance have revealed themselves during construction efforts or worse, have remained hidden in villages until they are detonated.  

One incident saw a 14-year-old girl lose her sight, an arm and a leg. The girl frequented a private tutors house regularly, but one day she stepped on a landmine right outside the house. The tutor had used land from a contaminated area to build the foundations of her home in a well-populated village. The deadly device had remained hidden for months before the incident.  

This is sadly just one of numerous incidents DRC has been alerted to in recent years.