During the ceremony, KOICA Director Cho Han-Deog stated that post-war unexploded ordnance poses a major threat to the safety of the population, the social-economic development of Binh Dinh, and the overarching development goals of the Vietnamese Government.

That context sparked the foundation ideas for the KVMAP, prioritizing Binh Dinh and Quang Binh provinces. KVMAP is the first international cooperation in Binh Dinh to fully tackle issues concerning UXO.

“In the four pillars of UXO consequence settlement that we are focusing on, conducting survey and clearance receive the most human and material resources. We have handed over the Binh Dinh map which marked safe areas to the local authority. This is the result of relentless effort from multiple stakeholders during the last two years. The final goal of this humane project is not just to clear the area from unexploded ordnance for safety but to become the foundation of development”, KOICA executive Cho Han-Deog remarked.

Currently, 4,216 hectares of land have been marked safe and handed over to the local authority after clearance. 1,177 victims of UXO (in a total of 26,865) have received aid.

Binh Dinh province has UXO contamination in all of its 159 local wards with a total contamination area of nearly 250 thousand ha, comprised over 41% of the province’s land area.

Binh Dinh is listed as a province with a higher level of UXO contamination, therefore it is chosen as the working ground for KVMAP. Binh Dinh has a relatively high UXO contamination density and affected victims but the majority of victims are not appropriately aided.

Source: KVMAP

Hemera Media