Monday, September 13, 2010 - Our Sixth Day

Monday, September 13, 2010 – Our Sixth Day

Today, the group traveled north to Jordan’s border with Syria in an area known as Jaber.  There, local staff from the Norwegian Peoples Aid (NPA) briefed us on the border clearance project and also discussed the landmine/UXO threat remaining throughout the country.

The northern border project, which started in May 2008, entails removing 136,000 anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines on an area that stretches along 104 kilometers at the border with Syria. A total of 12 teams, each comprising six members, are working on the project.

Just over half of the mines have been cleared to date and the project is on schedule for completion in the spring of 2012.

The majority of this mined land is owned by citizens and it is wasted, because the owners cannot enter their farms or grow anything.  Nor can they access the 33 wells that are located in the mined area, further complicating Jordan’s already serious water problem.

After the NPA staff brief, we visited a mined area along the border and observed mine clearance techniques using mine detection dogs provided by the South East Europe Mine Detection Dog Center, which is located in Bosnia-Herzegovina.  We also received an excellent field brief from the chief medical technician, who exhibited the medical field kits and spoke about procedures for the treatment of mine/UXO injuries.

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Our stay in the north was brief, necessitated by the fact that several of the group had scheduled a visit to the Dead Sea.  Upon their return, they indicated that they had a wonderful experience.

The day closed with a visit by five members of the Amman Rotary Club at which the participants engaged in fellowship and exchange.