MAG uses a range of techniques and adopts a multi-faceted approach to landmine and unexploded ordnance clearance, including the use of mechanical demining machines and ground penetrating flails.
What is clear today is there is no 'silver bullet' approach to landmine clearance; what works in one country may never get over the rickety bridges in another.
MAG's 'toolbox' approach
Therefore, we provide a 'toolbox' of different approaches to clearance that are appropriate to the problem. These approaches can depend on terrain, whether it is wet or dry, hard or soft ground, has thick vegetation or steep gradients, and so on. They also depend on the nature and amount of contamination in the ground, and how the land will be used after clearance.
Our skilled Technical Operations Managers advise and manage our teams on the best course of action and this often involves more than one approach.
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Photo: The 'Bozena 4' mine clearance flail machine is remotely steered by an operator. |
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With all the more unusual methods that are often put forward today (including using rats, honey bees, plants etc.), there is nothing as yet that replaces the reliable method of manual clearance in areas of high contamination.
We use adapted agricultural and plant machinery, including the Tempest vegetation cutter (which MAG helped to develop), Minecat and Bozena mini flails, excavators, sifters and screeners – along with shallow search, deep search and specialised detection equipment and mine detection dogs teams – to enable us to deal with the range of problems encountered.
Our innovation is often duplicated in other mine action agencies – another reason why we know our methods are among the best in the field.
Any new technology we adopt has to:
• Be appropriate and relevant to the terrain and climate
• Offer long-term and sustainable solutions
• Be cost-effective
EOD technology
Our appropriate use of mechanical equipment, such as plant machinery and sifters that separate explosive ordnance from the resulting spoil, has improved both safety and productivity. Continually seeking improved options for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), we have assisted with the trials of award-winning inventions such as the Vulcan (winner of the Queens Award for Innovation 2004).
This is a explosive device that safely produces a low-order explosion and will render huge 2,000lb bombs visibly useless. Thanks to the Vulcan's inventor Dr Sydney Alford we have used the Vulcan very successfully in our Lao PDR programme.
Using the right methods and maintenance
MAG has learned from experience that machines need to be simple, lightweight, easy to operate and have more than one use. In short, their use should be sustainable, and the most important part of this sustainability is to train and develop local staff to maintain the machines.
Bearing in mind that logistics and technical support in conflict-affected countries can be poor, machines should be adaptable and not rely on first-world, western technology. MAG takes all this into account by researching the operating environment during our initial surveys and assessments, enabling us to create a tailored plan that each different country programme can maintain.
