UXO Lao Operations Reflect The Generic Principles Of Humanitarian Mine Action
Explosive Ordnance Risk Education Tasks (EORE)
Raise the awareness of people living in UXO affected areas. EORE teams utilize various methods to communicate their message including: puppet shows, songs, dances, games, question and answer. The teams support survey operations by noting locations of UXO pinpointed by villagers during EORE activities.
Survey Task
Four person teams conduct non-technical survey (NTS) tasks. They provide detailed maps and information on locations of UXO reported.
The enhanced technical survey (ETS) task is a new methodology developped by UXO Lao in 2007. ETS teams evaluate a clearance request by studying available UXO records for a particular area (bombing data, reported UXO, and UXO victims). Combined with a 25% sampling of the land area, this leads to the request being either: (1) tasked to an area clearance team or (2) designated low priority / low UXO impact threat (for possible clearance at some future date.)
Technical Survey (TS) task normally follows NTS by using the cluster munition (CM) evidence points as the starting points from which detectors search systematically outwards in all directions to find the limits of the CM contamination. Boxes of 50×50 meters are used to manage and control the TS task. Boxes are searched until either a CM is found or 50% of the area is covered. If a box contains CM evidence, then the search continues in the adjacent boxes. Once the boundaries of the CM contamination have been identified the contaminated area is recorded and reported to the NRA as a Confirmed Hazardous Areas (CHA).
Roving Tasks (RV)
Remove and destroy surface UXO as reported by villagers or NTS teams. Increase the confidence and safety of people living in UXO affected areas to engage in their livelihoods and lead normal lives.
Area Clearance Tasks (AC)
Search for and remove UXO under the ground by using detectors. Increase the amount of safe land available for agriculture and other social-economic development projects.
Areas of Operation
The Lao PDR today is the most cluster munition and UXO affected country in the world. UXO hidden everywhere, UXO can be found in rice fields, school yards, on hillsides, in rivers, along roads and paths and even in the centers of provincial towns.
UXO LAO operates in 9 of the most UXO impacted provinces in the country:
1. Luang Prabang
2. Huaphanh
3. Xiengkhuang
4. Khammuane
5. Savannakhet
6. Salavan
7. Sekong
8. Champasak
9. Attapeu