Landmines: A Threat to Sustainable Development

Abstract

Landmines are one of the most environmentally destructive aftermaths of war facing the world today. The global landmine problem has transcended both humanitarian and sociological concerns to bring about environmental damage. Disruption of land's stability, pollution and loss of biodiversity constitute major ecological repercussions of landmine crisis. This paper aim to emphasise how landmines are having devastating impact on economy, led to loss of biodiversity, ecological crisis, soil contamination, loss of productivity, threat to food security, community health, poverty and social marginalisation. Landmines are threat to sustainable development as all above issues are interlinked. Its contamination led to under-development of nation because of access denial to utilise natural resources like water, forest, land etc. Excessively intensive cultivation, overgrazing and deforestation in the mine free lands led to ecological imbalance. Landmines cause refugee and internal displacement problem. They terrorize and demoralize civil society as well. Their impact on the fragile health system of the country where they have been used in greater number can be overwhelming.The threat of mines hinders relief operations by preventing access to certain areas by aid agencies, disrupting road networks and necessitating the implementation of landmine clearance operations which are vastly expensive both in financial and human terms A simple mine cost less than $3, its clearance however requires $300 to $1000 making demining a very costly and slow process.