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stockpile
destruction fact sheet
Stockpile of anti-tank mines
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There
are actually more landmines in stockpiles than those laid in
the ground. In addition to governments, many armed groups
have huge stockpiles of landmines. Destroying these stockpiles
is a crucial step, because it prevents their use, forever.
Fortunately, in the past decade, 61 countries have destroyed
some 34 million antipersonnel mines. Countries that have
signed the Mine Ban Treaty have
destroyed about 27 million of these antipersonnel mines. Nearly
eighty percent of the global total destroyed so far has been
destroyed to comply with this Treaty
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Stockpile destruction and advocacy are part of a sustainable
and durable solution to the landmine problem worldwide.
This process ensures that national governments respect international
laws developed to stop the use of landmines and other weapons
of war.
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Mines being destroyed using the Open
Detonation technique during or after demining operations. |
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How are
landmines destroyed? The destruction of AP mines is complex
due to the large number of explosive devices that are involved.
The physical destruction techniques range from the relatively
simple Open Burning and Open Detonation (OBOD) techniques to highly sophisticated industrial
processes. While there are many different techniques available
for the destruction of mines, the choice of which technology
to use depends on many factors including the availability of
a particular technology, the cost, the condition of the stockpile,
and the environmental impact. The most affordable technique
is OBOD and in many cases is the only practical technique that
is available. |
What
are some of the other techniques that are used? All of
the other methods for destroying stockpiles involve one of the
following:
exploding the mines (e.g., Contained Detonation);
using heat (e.g., Open Pit, Rotary Kiln, Hearth Kiln, Car Bottom
Furnace, Directly Heated Retort, Plasma Arc) to burn the explosives;
mechanical disassembly (e.g., high strength crushing or shredding
machines for mines with a very low explosive content);
biological (e.g., using bacteria to eat the explosive content)
or chemical (e.g., electro-chemical oxidation) processes.
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A mechanical mine clearance device
that uses chains and small hammers to activate or destroy mines
as it moves over the ground. This device cannot be used in rocky
or hilly terrains, in forests, or if the ground is too muddy. |
The United Nations encourages and supports stockpile destruction programmes.
Accordingly, the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) developed
under UN auspices, also deal with stockpile destruction.
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