As the United Nations marks International Mine Awareness Day on April 4, a charity organization that removes dangerous explosives left behind by war is drawing attention to the dramatic effect that landmine clearance has had on one community in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has one of the highest landmine accident rates in the world, with more than 150 casualties per month because of landmines and other explosive hazards.
In western Afghanistan, mine-laying operations in Jebrail township -- located outside Herat City -- took place there over a 10-year period during the Soviet Occupation between 1979 and 1989. These mines include minimum metal anti-vehicle landmines, which can be difficult to detect.
After a number of landmine accidents, the charity organization HALO was tasked to re-survey and conduct landmine clearance in Jebrail, and they were able to identify 50 minefields that needed to be cleared. That process was completed five years ago, and today, they say more than 60,000 people have settled in Jebrail.
The interactive map below, created by Esri and HALO Trust, shows Jebrail before and after the landmine clearing operation.
Click here for full-screen version of interactive (Courtesy Esri Canada)
