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MAG's clearance of unexploded ordnance in Lao PDR means previously contaminated land can be used for agriculture, schools, access roads, bridges, irrigation canals, toilets and water supply. |
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The problem
Lao PDR is the most bombed country in the world per capita. More than 1.3 million tonnes of ordnance was dropped on the country between 1964 and 1973. Up to 30 per cent of some types of ordnance did not detonate. Unexploded ordnance (UXO) still contaminates the ground, affecting a quarter of all villages.
There were at least 50,000 UXO casualties between 1964 and mid-2008. Accident records for 2008 are not yet complete, but extrapolating the data already available indicates that there may have been a doubling of casualties from 2007, to about 600.
UXO contamination also keeps people poor by preventing them from using land. It is therefore is one of the prime factors limiting long-term development in Lao PDR. It diminishes food security and denies access to basic services, resulting in widespread poverty amongst rural populations.
How MAG is helping
In 2008, MAG located and destroyed 98,061 items of UXO. 3,763,582 square metres of land were cleared. Sixty-five per cent of this land was for agriculture, with the remainder cleared for schools, access roads, bridges, irrigation canals and toilets or water supply.
See these pages for detailed information on MAG's latest work in Lao PDR:
Your donation to MAG helps us to move into current and former conflict zones to clear the remnants of conflict, enabling recovery and assisting the development of affected populations.
Beneficiaries
Around 45,000 people directly benefited from MAG's work in 2008, with tens of thousands of indirect beneficiaries.
Additionally, MAG gives jobs to those who need them most, investing in, training and employing staff from the local population in order to build a robust and sustainable national workforce.
MAG aims to increase its percentage of female staff to 40 per cent in Lao PDR, and actively recruit people with disabilities.
Find out more
- MAG Lao PDR in depth
- MAG Lao Visitor Information Centres
- US Air Force bombing date in Google Earth (more info [external site])
- National Regulatory Authority for UXO/Mine Action [external site]
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MAG would like to express its thanks to the following donors to its Lao PDR operations: Armour Group; AusAID; UK Department of International Development (DFID); European Commission; The Humpty Dumpty Institute; Imperial Tobacco; ITO Supporting Comity; Jersey Overseas Aid Commission; US Department of State.
November 2009
www.maginternational.org/laopdr
