15:05 27.03.2023

About 180,000 sq km may be contaminated in Ukraine; it's area 4.5 size of Switzerland – Director of UNDP Crisis Bureau

2 min read
About 180,000 sq km may be contaminated in Ukraine; it's area 4.5 size of Switzerland – Director of UNDP Crisis Bureau

Ukraine has become one of the world's largest minefields, about 180,000 square kilometers of the country's territory need to be cleared of explosive objects, Director of the Crisis Bureau of the UN Development Program Asako Okai has said.

"It's shocking figures. About 30% of the whole territory of Ukraine in contaminated. About 180,000 square kilometers of the country may be contaminated. It is an area 4,5 the size of Switzerland. Estimates suggest over 10 million Ukrainians are at risk. So, Ukraine has become one of the world's largest minefields," Okai said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

She said the issue of mine clearance is a priority, since many areas of Ukraine are not yet accessible, which complicates emergency assistance and delays reconstruction.

UNDP also said that in 2022, mine action efforts of the UN and partners have reached almost 3.5 million people in 2022.

"But I'd like to say that 350 000 items are collected, meaning explosives," Okai said.

However, she also said the contamination of this scale would take decades.

In November, Head of the State Emergency Service Serhiy Kruk said some 30% of the territory of Ukraine was mined. According to him, the area and volumes of mines in the territory of Ukraine have grown ten times compared to the pre-war period.

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