[CPEO-MEF] MUNITIONS, GLOBAL: Environmental change increases the risk from unexploded ordnance

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

(I’ve been seen a few reports lately about unexploded ordnance and wildfires, floods and drought. Here are a few.  - LS)

European wildfires set off unexploded ordnance from World War II

We Are the Mighty
August 3, 2018

The heat is exacerbating another problem that European countries have long dealt with: Still-potent weaponry left over from World War II.

At the end of July 2018, firefighters grappling with a forest fire southwest of Berlin were further challenged by unexploded World War II ammunition still buried there.

…

For the entire blog, see
https://www.wearethemighty.com/european-wildfires-world-war-ii


HEAT WAVE REVEALS GERMAN MINES, GRENADES AND LIVE EXPLOSIVES SUBMERGED SINCE WORLD WAR II

BY DAVID BRENDAN 
Newsweek
August 3, 2018

As Europe wilts under the most intense heat wave for many years, residents in the eastern part of Germany are facing an additional hazard—World War Two explosives uncovered by retreating water.

German police have warned people living in the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony that low water levels in the Elbe River are uncovering deadly treasures in multiple locations, Deutsche Welle reported.

…

For the entire article, see
https://www.newsweek.com/heat-wave-reveals-german-mines-grenades-and-live-explosives-submerged-world-1055554



Laos dam collapse survivors warned of unexploded bombs dislodged during floods

by Anne Barker
Australian Broadcasting
July 30, 2018


As if survivors of last week's dam collapse in southern Laos don't have enough to deal with, rescue authorities are warning of another serious danger in the wake of the ensuing flood.

Attapeu was one of the most heavily bombed provinces during the Vietnam war, and unexploded ordinance (UXO) has remained in the ground in unknown quantities for up to half a century.

Far from destroying bombs or landmines that have lain on or in the ground, rain and floodwaters can dislodge and shift UXO buried in soil or mud, and carry it to areas that were previously declared free of landmines.



…

For the entire story, see
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-30/laos-dam-collapse-survivors-warned-of-unexploded-ordinance/10052804





--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director
Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042
Voice/Fax: 650/961-8918 
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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