24 March 2015
Residual contamination of explosive remnants (ERW) is a challenge in Serbia due to the bombardments during World War II and the NATO airstrikes in the 1990s. In anticipation of the 1.8 square kilometre, €3.5 billion development project to transform the Belgrade Waterfront into a cultural, business and entertainment centre, the GICHD has been collaborating with the Serbian Mine Action Centre in ERW risk mitigation planning. This work has focused especially on UXO risk management in Belgrade.
The GICHD travelled to Serbia in March to learn about prevailing ERW risk management policies and to share international good practices. The Serbian Mine Action Centre demonstrated Management of Residual ERW to the GICHD team by exhibiting a technical survey on cluster munitions, land handover procedures with municipal authorities, and risk mitigation planning on deep-buried bombs.
In the heart of the capital, munitions from both World Wars can be still found along the Belgrade Waterfront at depths of up to 27 metres. Using a risk assessment approach for clearance operations, work is only planned in the confirmed locations of ERW. It will be carried out by specialist commercial companies. Such planning marks an efficient use of resources. “Even when surface ordnance such as landmines, cluster munitions and other ERW are cleared, deeply-buried residual contamination poses a risk, which must be managed in the long term,” says SMAC director Branislav Jovanović.
Category: Residual contamination