Ukraine is one of the most mined countries in the world, because almost a third of the area is about 200,000 square kilometers. – need demining.
Explosive objects not only take lives, but also have a detrimental effect on the environment from the moment the mine hits the ground and even after detonation, reports the head of the Ministry of Environment, Ruslan Strilets, on Facebook.
How mining harms the environment:
- Destroys the forest
Forests are one of the most vulnerable ecosystems to mining. After all, detonation causes dry grass and wood, which can cause a forest fire. If there is no fire, the debris falls into the trees. Due to corrosion, the plant is poisoned.
- Threatens food security
It is impossible to grow agricultural crops on the mined territory. Farmers are forced to reduce the area under cultivation, which puts pressure on resources and depletes the soil.
- It spoils the soil
Ammunition fragments release heavy metals into the environment, including chromium, zinc, iron, copper, and mercury. These substances reach groundwater and enter the food chain of humans and animals.
- Destroys biodiversity
Landmines are often encountered by animals. Confused and frightened, they leave the territory and migrate en masse. Often, new territories do not have suitable conditions for the existence of a species, due to which biodiversity is reduced.
- It interferes with protecting nature reserves
"When the territory is mined, specialists do not have access to reserves. The processes of preserving the territory are becoming more complicated. The mine-strewn reserve exists on paper. Over time, the nature protection structure ceases to exist," said Strilets.
In Ukraine, according to preliminary data, more than 175,000 munitions have already been neutralized, and an area of 67,639 hectares has been surveyed. In general, demining will take about 10 years. However, the help of European colleagues can significantly speed up this process.
"There is already a bitter experience of Ukrainians falling into landmines. Now is the warm season. Life is returning to the liberated territories. I call on everyone to avoid potentially dangerous areas," Strilets emphasized.
Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that from February 24 to August 3, 2022 on the territory of Ukraine 173,705 explosives were neutralized items, including 2,099 aerial bombs.
As EcoPolitic previously reported, in Ukraine, in the 4 months since the start of the full-scale invasion, russian troops have inflicted land and air damage losses in the amount of almost 254.3 bln UAH.
