A total of 106,938 hectares of land were cleared in Azerbaijani territories liberated from Armenian occupation in the post-war period, Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijani Mine Action Agency (ANAMA) Vugar Suleymanov said.
According to him, so far, 12,514 hectares of land intended for environmental assessment and scientific research, 6,261 hectares of land intended for energy projects, 53,078 hectares for agriculture, 3,421 hectares for land reclamation and water management, 5,759 hectares for transportation infrastructure, 20,118 hectares for reconstruction and development of residential infrastructure, and 5,784 hectares of land intended for other purposes have been cleared of explosives.
"As a result, 30,539 anti-personnel mines, 18,303 anti-tank mines, and 56,646 unexploded ordnances with a total number of 105,488 units were identified and neutralized on 106,938 hectares," Suleymanov said.
He also noted that Azerbaijan is one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world. Suleymanov stressed that these hidden death seeds have a serious impact on both the environment and the well-being and social development of citizens, posing a direct threat to human life and health as well as damaging the ecosystem.
"During the occupation of Azerbaijani territory, Armenian armed formations destroyed Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur, two of our country's most ecologically clean and attractive natural areas. These areas have been contaminated by around 1.5 mln mines and explosives, according to rough estimates. Even with a rough estimate, this amounts to 480 tons of plastic material containing hazardous compounds," Suleymanov said.
