Mine Action Mine action is the removal of landmines and other explosive remnants of war (ERWs) from the ground. Years after a conflict within a country, thousands to millions of landmines and other ERWs are left unexploded beneath the land. These weapons kill and injure thousands of innocent civilians each year. Simply stepping on land concealing an ERW can set off the explosive. There are two types of landmines: tank mines and antipersonnel mines. While tank mines are larger and require hundreds of pounds of pressure to explode, antipersonnel mines are designed specifically to injure humans. They are much smaller, more difficult to locate, and they can be manufactured for as little as three dollars . These hidden weapons do not only endanger the lives of civilians; they also close roads, hinder post-conflict reconstruction, and block the delivery of humanitarian aid . Unfortunately the communities affected by landmines often have no way to remove them. This is usually due to the lack of resources, knowledge, and technology needed to clear them safely. Even with sufficient means, it is likely that removal will require hundreds of millions of dollars and take years to complete. Landmine clearance is a dangerous, expensive, and time-consuming process. Before the ERWs can be removed, machines must clear the vegetation covering the soil. Next “safe lanes” are created. Safe lanes are areas one to two meters wide that have been cleared so that people and machinery can work safely and evacuate quickly in the case of an emergency. Individual mines are then located either by trained personnel using metal detectors and other tool... ... middle of paper ... ...Protocol II. Currently 115 States are parties to the Convention. Further progress has been made since the treaties. In Cambodia, the number of fatalities due to mines each year has decreased from 188 in 2006 to 48 in 2013 . Last year 162,000 people in Yemen who were displaced due to ERWs were able to return to their homes thanks to clearance efforts. In Lebanon, 66% of the land affected by mines and other ERWs is now clear. In spite of these efforts, landmines and other explosive remnants of war continue to be a major problem for many countries around the world. They kill and injure thousands of people each year. Landmines can also damage the environment and affect a country’s economy by making good farmland, railways, etc. unusable or inaccessible. The international community must continue to seek ways to improve mine action around the world.
...ANISTAN: Landmine Deaths, Injuries Torment Villagers." IRINnews. IRIN, 28 Jan. 2010. Web. 01 Apr. 2014. .
Mountain Top Removal is an American tragedy, the process in which mining companies remove forests and topsoil then explode the mountain apart level by level to get to coal layer. It is estimated that the explosives are equivalent of the Hiroshima bomb. A lot of the mining waste is discarded into valleys and streams; the water runoff is high in silt, ion, and sulfur compounds, which in turn pollute water downstream. Even with chemical treatments, vegetation has a hard time growing on the infertile and highly acidic soil. Mountain top removal occurs in eastern Kentucky, southern West Virginia, southwest Virginia, and east Tennessee. Virtually 1.2 million acres of land has been surface mined and more than 500 mountains have been ruined by mountaintop removal mining.
...panese were home-made yet effective. American soldiers on the other hand had a bit of help from Germany for their design of the mines they used. The S-Mine 35 was popular for its detonation sequence. It was a pressure activated proximity mine that would propel a small grenade-like object about 3 feet above ground to explode. This characteristic earned them the nickname “Bouncing Betty.”
There are many advancements in the development of no lethal weapons. These advances have increased the interest of no lethal weapons. Lethal landmines were banned with the Ottawa treaty; however, new mines are being enhanced to use rubber balls, electric wires, and chemicals (SV; however, SV.) (Nick Lewer). For example, there is a no lethal weapon that uses three no lethal weapons in one; it uses pepper spray, electric shock, and video surveillance (SV; SV.). Another no lethal weapon uses microwaves; it penetrates through skin; it uses water molecules to vibrate inside the body (SV; SV; SV.). These are only a few of the many developments of no lethal technology.
Both in research and operational applications, automated mine monitoring systems now determine immediate information on the status of equipment in underground or remote locations. Canada produces its 60 mineral products from roughly 300 mines across the country7. Before these products can make the trip from mines to the marketplace, they must be searched for, staked, tested, analyzed, developed.
The tar creek mining site originally was owned by a Native American tribe, the Quapaw. The Quapaw wanted to keep these lands, but the Bureau of Indian Affairs deemed members opposing a transaction to mining companies “incompetent” (1). In such a case the business could continue and the Bureau of Indian Affairs sold the lands to mining companies. In essence these lands were stolen from the Quapaw because they were ripe for mining. These mines were then used from approximately 1891 to 1970. In the 79 years the mines were open 1.7 million metric tons (~3.75 billion pounds) of lead and 8.8 million metric tons (~19.4 billion pounds) of zinc were withdrawn from the mine (2). The entire area around Tar Creek is known as the tri-state mining area. This tri-state area was a massive source of metals. This area accounted for 35% of the all worldwide metal for a decade. It also provided the majority of metals the United States used in World wars I and II (3).
In response to machine guns and heavy artillery, soldiers dug trenches. The Central Powers and Allies both had a system of trenches that was composed of a series, usually three, of parallel trenches that were connected by perpendicular trenches used for communication and transportation. The opposing trench systems were separated by barbed wire and “no man’s land,” a crater marked land. The trenches were defended with machine guns and heavy artillery. The permanent positions of the trenches prevented any soldiers from conquering land. This lead to a stalemate that lasted for the rest of the war. To try and break the stalemate, the army tried blowing up enemy trenches from underground. Trench warfare lead to a long war of attrition that was finally broken by the introduction of fresh troops from the United States of America. (Hadingham; “Trench
In the earlier stages of this conflict, both sides deployed weapons such as the 37MM Automatic Air Defense Gun M1939 (61-K), the 85MM Air Defense gun M1939 (52-K), 100MM Air Defense gun KS-19, and the 90MM Gun M1/M2/M3. These systems were developed and deployed during the World War II (WWII) ear, this left them deficient in the
Trench Warfare devastated the British and French soldiers fighting in France during World War One through the destruction of land. Shell bursts and land mines were a vital factor in the destruction of French land during World War One. "If you were a British officer peering into no man's land, what met your gaze resembled the cratered surface of the moon..." (Hochschild 135). The shell bursts that were launched from allied and enemy trenches completed destroyed French land, which made it hard for soldiers to move across the battlefield. Besides explosions, land was destroyed by militaries building camps and trenches for the war. "The simple presence of military forces took land out of agricultural use for camps, training grounds, firing ranges, airfields, and many other purposes, and gave rise to localized destruction" (Clout 33). The presence of the military gave rise to localized destruction, which ruins the natural resources that soldiers can use. The military also ravaged the land and used anything they came across for themselves in battle. A French soldier reported: "Close to the front, the enemy stripped houses of doors, shutters, cupboards and especially bedding, which they carried into the trenches...They slaughtered farm animals, taking the best parts to eat and leaving the rest to rot" (Clout 33-34). The
Chemical weapons and their use is one of the most important issues facing the world today. Not only is the use of such weapons highly controversial, but also the very idea of such weapons of mass destruction being in the hands of dangerous leaders. Next to nuclear weapons they are the most feared, and the prospect of these weapons not only concerns people, but also frightens them. As a result of these fears, America has entered a new war that could bring devastating effects upon our world. It is a very sensitive topic among many countries, and is out of hand primarily because of the introduction of chemical weapons to the world in the First World War. Many people have the same feelings about chemical weapons. Chemical weapons are wrong and those that exist in the world should be destroyed, but it is not that simple. Chemical weapons are very dangerous and even after their destruction, they are still very hazardous. Innocent people are being killed accidentally with chemical weapons, whether it is poor storage or bad transportation. The fact is that chemical weapons need to be destroyed, through very careful means. The production and use of chemical weapons is ethically wrong based on the devastating effects they have on the entire world. The weapons are something that is very difficult to get rid of, and we need to develop better ways to protect ourselves against their use and disposal.
At Vimy ridge there are mines deep underground and it and that how we are able to get to the front lines without the Germans attack at us. Honestly, I couldn't believe we were able to dig the whole mine out and along with a few posts with light rail lines, hospitals, command posts, water reservoirs, ammunition stores, army rations like canned corn beef and communication centers. You would think it would be safe, but you still need to look out for other German miners but much safer
...plete report. Before this was done the mine blew up. In the end, the news story that broke was focused on union campaign contributions and not on mine safety.
The Encarta Encyclopedia defines a landmine as "an encased explosive device that is concealed below the surface of the ground." It can be made of "metal, plastic, glass, or wood" (n. p.). Probably the concept of landmines is almost as old as the existence of organized armies. Philip C. Winslow, in his book Sowing the Dragon's Teeth, describes how Roman soldiers, before the beginning of the first millennium, used a plant with spikes as a landmine in order "to delay pursuers" (126). The Chinese, according to Delbruck, used "ground mines" made out of explosives in the year 1232 (qtd. in Winslow 126). Six hundred years later, in 1840, the use of landmines was introduced in the United States; they were used "in large quantities" during the Civil War (Winslow 126, 127).
Explosive blast effect AP Land Mines are the most common kind of landmine and can be bought for as low as $3. These kinds of landmine are designed to rip off the lower half of the leg and project dirt, bone and things the person who triggered the mine was wearing on their legs and feet up into the leg. In the book “Naveed” the main character’s little sister, Anoosheh, had stepped on a landmine and had part of her legs blown off, the rest of the leg area around the knee had to be amputated. That doesn’t only happen in books, things like