With the destruction of 22 explosive devices, demining soldiers have cleared this year more than 260,000 square meters in Huila and Putumayo, safeguarding the wellbeing of children and adults.
The tasks are carried out by more than 600 men and women of the Humanitarian Demining Engineers Battalion No. 5 who are committed to the demining of the southwest of the country and who will continue by 2021 working in the municipalities of Baraya, Tello, Santa María and Colombia (Huila), Villagarzón, Orito and Valle del Guamuez (Putumayo).
In the same way, it should be noted that since 2017, when the Battalion was created, more than 820 thousand square meters have been cleared with manual demining techniques, in which 133 explosive devices have been destroyed and 14 municipalities in the department of Huila have been demined, such as: Garzón, Gigante, Suaza, La Plata, La Argentina, Isnos, San Agustín, Rivera, Acevedo, Aipe, Iquira, Pitalito, Neiva and Palermo; and in the department of Putumayo the municipalities of Santiago and Mocoa.
Besides to this arduous demining work, the soldiers have reforested more than 8,000 trees of different types from in each region. Also they have removed solid waste, cleaning of wetlands and adaptation of the different tertiary roads of the villages.
Meanwhile, to accompany the inhabitants before, during and after the humanitarian demining process, soldiers implemented new strategies such as education on the risk of antipersonnel mines, which they made it known by puppets, brochures, loudspeakers and trainings.
Source: press - Humanitarian Demining Brigade
