Dong Ha, Quang Tri (16 March 2021) – In response to an emergency callout from a Dong Ha dweller, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team of NPA/RENEW last week removed a large number of explosive ordnance and rounds of ammunition from the foundation of a new house which is under construction.
“I wanted to thank you all for the quick response from the NPA/RENEW team and for their timely intervention that has brought back safety for my workers, we can now resume our work,” said 39-year-old Tạ Thành Đạt said on Monday, 8 March 2021 after the NPA/RENEW EOD team had safely managed the threat.
Đạt has resided in Block 6 of Ward one, Dong Ha City, Quang Tri Province since 2011. During the war, the area where his home is located had been Dong Ha railway station. After 10 years of living in a temporary house, he decided to build a new one. Although being told by neighbors about the possibility of encountering buried explosives, the father of three was quite shocked when bricklayers unearthed some wartime munitions in the foundation of his new house. He called the Quang Tri province EOD hotline number immediately, asking for assistance.
According to NPA/RENEW’s team leader, Mr. Hoang Kim Chien, following further searching on the building site, the EOD team found 22 different explosives ordnance and over 350 small arms ammunitions. All of the explosives were removed for later safe disposal at NPA/RENEW central demolition site.
In 2021 so far, NPA/RENEW EOD teams have conducted 106 spot tasks in response to EOD emergency callouts to the province hotline number by local people of Quang Tri province. Over 500 items of explosive ordnance have been safely removed and destroyed.
NPA implements survey and clearance activities in Quang Tri province in close cooperation with Project RENEW, under a partnership with the Quang Tri Provincial Department of Foreign Affairs. This work is funded by the U.S. Department of State and the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office.
Project RENEW was established in 2001 as a joint effort between the government of Quang Tri Province and interested INGOs to “restore the environment and neutralize the effects of the war”.
Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) has worked in Vietnam since 2007 and collaborated with national and provincial authorities to implement capacity development, survey and clearance projects in Hanoi, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue and Quang Binh provinces.
