All 63 Vietnamese provinces and cities polluted by bombs and mines at different levels (Photo: Bomicen)
During the program, the steering committee worked with the national humanitarian portal to announce a message program supporting the mitigation of bomb and mine consequences. Accordingly, from March 31
st to April 30
th, each message texting BM to 1403 contributes VND20,000 to the fund for bomb and mine action assistance fund.
Prime Minister Phuc and guests sent donation messages after the announcement.
According to Major-General Phung Ngoc Son, Commander of the Engineer Corps, as of December 2017, over 6.1 million hectares of land across 63 provinces and cities remained polluted by bombs and mines, accounting for 18.7% of the nation’s area.
Since 2014, the Vietnam National Mine Action Center (VNMAC) has cleared 1,100 hectares of land in Ha Tinh province and 32,200 hectares of land in Quang Tri province. In 2018, disarmament will be carried out in Quang Binh and Binh Dinh provinces with assistance from the Government of the Republic of Korea.
According to Mr. Son, nearly 32% of fatalities caused by bombs and mines come from people searching for scrap metal for recycling, over 27.5% from children playing with bombs and mines, and some 20.3% from plantation and breeding activities.
Addressing the program, the Cabinet leader stressed that overcoming the consequences of bombs and mines is an urgent task which brings with it humanitarian significance, contributing to protecting human lives, health and safety of the people, cleaning the environment, and facilitating sustainable socio-economic development in localities affected by bombs and mines.
Senior Lieutenant-General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Minister of National Defence, confirmed that the army would work closely with ministries, agencies, organizations and individuals, to improve bomb and mine clearance./.