The third phase of explosive
ordnance and landmine clearance in the Falkland Islands
is scheduled to begin next January and extend until March 2013 and is
programmed to concentrate in the surrounding of the capital Stanley.
The Zimbabwe
team celebrates previous successful clearances of areas that included Surf
Bay, Goose Green, Sapper Hill and
part of Stanley Common
These are the remnants of the Argentine occupation of the Falklands thirty
years ago, back in 1982, which left thousands of mostly antipersonnel mines
planted in areas considered strategic from a military point of view to defend
the capital Stanley, but with which Islanders have had to learn to live for
over three decades.
This next phase of the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office Explosive Ordnance and Landmine Clearance Programme is
to be carried by BACTEC International Limited, who undertook the first two
phases.
This is the third such phase of
explosive ordnance and landmine clearance in the Falkland Islands.
The first was carried out in 2010 with the successful clearance of areas that
included Surf Bay,
Goose Green and Sapper Hill, as well as land clearance on Stanley Common in
2012 that opened up a large area including the Stone Corral.
The scope of work for Phase Three
is the clearance of one known, fenced, minefield in the part of Stanley Common
that was released for public use earlier this year, as well as the clearance of
the large (currently restricted) area just to the north and west of Mile Pond,
which, it is suspected, contains two minefields.
Additionally, a further minefield
just to the north of and bordering the Stanley
to Goose Green Road, which
was subjected to some clearance in 1982, is to be re-processed/cleared and the
land released for public use.
Any available time will be used
to carry out further land release to the east of Round Pond heading towards the
Eliza Cove Road.
The BACTEC team will consist of
51 Zimbabwean demining personnel, most of who have already worked on Phases One
and Two.
Phillimon Gonamombe will again be
the Operations Manager and the project will be directed by Guy Lucas, who in
1982 set up the post conflict clearance and also directed the 2009/10 and 2012
programmes.
Guy has firsthand experience and
knowledge of the Islands and the task at hand. Unlike
the 2012 program, which focussed on land release, the 2013 program will focus
on clearing known minefields to meet the UK Government commitment in accordance
with the Ottawa Treaty, as well as doing some land release.
The BACTEC team is looking
forward to returning in January to continue its work following up on 2012’s
successful land release project.
BACTEC are pleased that Guy
Marot, who was part of the team for Phase 1 in 2009/10, will be the Falkland
Islands Demining Project Office (FIDPO) representative. (PN).
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