The Azerbaijani National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) plans to start clearing the plains of Jeyranchel, where the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline runs, News Azerbaijan reports.
The project has been approved by donors. The ANAMA received 9 million euros and started work on mine-clearing in the area, the head of the agency’s department Musa Jalalov said. The process will take 48 months.
The ANAMA works on clearing mines in Azerbaijan and Afghanistan. It has trained 150 Afghan mine engineers this year. The agency will train a total of 1500-2000 teachers next year.
English manuals were translated into Azerbaijan and Dari. 10,500 such manuals were sent to Afghanistan from Azerbaijan in 2010, and 15,000 this year.
Azerbaijan has lessons for protection from mines and ammunition for grades 4-6 at 1200 middle schools in 24 districts with 2335 teachers reading lectures, according to a trilateral agreement reached between the Education Ministry, the ANAMA and UNICEF.
About 20-30 children were being killed by mines and explosions annually until 2004. There have been no children killed ever since, except a girl killed at the border river with Armenia. The girl came to the Agstafinsky District of Azerbaijan from Russia and was not taught protection skills.
The ANAMA cleared 50 mines and destroyed 250 shells in 2010.
