Statement from Greg Crowther, MAG's Director of Programmes, following the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam in Ukraine:
"Landmines displaced by the flooding will be a danger to both residents and the rescuers but the real cause for concern is a long-term one. We’ve seen in other countries how even seasonal flooding can dislodge landmines and sweep them into areas that had hitherto been regarded as safe.
"With catastrophic flooding on the scale we are witnessing in Ukraine, that danger is even more acute. The displacement will make the job of finding and clearing the mines so much more difficult because they will have been swept along and deposited by the flood waters in a completely random manner.
"Some of them could be damaged and unstable and they could be buried under silt or flood debris or have become lodged in homes, public spaces or gardens. Some of them might be buried so deeply that detecting them in the future will be extremely challenging but they might still pose a danger if, for instance, they are unearthed during post-conflict reconstruction work."
Learn more about MAG's work in Ukraine here.
