Contamination and Impact

Mines

Azerbaijan is contaminated by mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), primarily as a result of armed conflict with Armenia in 1988–1994. A general survey of contamination was undertaken in 2001, followed by a Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) in 18 districts carried out from September 2002 to June 2003. The LIS identified 480 mine-impacted communities and 163 ERW-impacted communities in 18 districts. In total, 970 suspected hazardous areas (SHAs) covering 736km² of land were found to be affecting 514,000 people.^[1]

In late 2006, the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) significantly reduced the overall estimate of contamination to 306km², based on a survey conducted with the support of local authorities of the 11 most heavily mine/ERW-affected districts.^[2] This revised figure included areas not identified by the LIS. Additional new SHAs have since been identified by re-survey by ANAMA but land release had reduced the overall SHA to 184km² as of the end of 2009. This was spread across 280 SHAs of which 89 were believed to be mined areas.^[3]

The precise extent of the mine/ERW problem in areas of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia is unknown. In addition to Nagorno-Karabakh (see the Profile for Nagorno-Karabakh), which was occupied by Armenian forces during the conflict between the two countries, the districts of Gubadly, Jabrayil, Kelbajar, Lachin, and Zangilan, as well as parts of Aghdam, Fizuli, and Terter are under the control of Armenian forces. These areas are expected to have extensive mine/ERW contamination with estimates of the total size of affected areas varying from 350km² to 830km².^[4]

Cluster munition remnants

Azerbaijan is affected by cluster munition remnants. In the summer of 2007, the Azerbaijan Campaign to Ban Landmines (AzCBL) conducted a data collection project to survey cluster munition contamination in Azerbaijan’s non-occupied border regions. It concluded that cluster munitions had been used in Aghdam, Aghdara, and Fizuli districts/regions.^[5]

Significant contamination from cluster munition remnants has also been identified in Nagorno-Karabakh (see the Profile for Nagorno-Karabakh).^[6] In 2006 and 2007, cluster munition remnants were found in and around warehouses at a former Soviet ammunition storage area (ASA) located at Saloglu in Agstafa district. None have since been encountered.

Other explosive remnants of war

There are also other areas confirmed or suspected to contain ERW, including both UXO and abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO). Re-survey of SHAs concluded that as of the end of 2009, 191 SHAs contained UXO.^[7]

With respect to AXO, and despite ongoing clearance efforts, there remains significant contamination in and around warehouses at the former Soviet ASA at Saloglu. The ASA, which consisted of 138 bunkers, was the largest Soviet warehouse in the southern Caucasus. In 1991, when Azerbaijan gained independence, the warehouse was blown up by the departing Soviet army.^[8] Since the explosion, which scattered stored munitions, 152 incidents have reportedly killed 32 people and injured 91 others.^[9]

There is also another AXO/UXO problem in Guzdek village in Garadakh district, 20 minutes drive from the capital, Baku. Also, as a result of an ASA being blown up in 1991, thousands of items of ordnance were scattered over a large area. It is suspected that contamination includes antipersonnel mines.^[10] Since the explosion 10 incidents are said to have killed two people and injured two others.^[11]

Mine Action Program

Key institutions and operators

 

ANAMA was established in 1998 as the national entity mandated to oversee all aspects of mine action activities in Azerbaijan under the supervision of the State Commission for Reconstruction and Rehabilitation. A Joint Working Group, established in December 1999 and consisting of representatives from various ministries, previously supported the coordination of mine action in the country^[12] but has not met since 2005 as it proved to be more effective for ANAMA to deal with concerned ministries and state bodies on a bilateral basis.^[13]

ANAMA has its headquarters in Baku, a regional office in Fizuli, a Regional Mine Action Resource and Training Center in Goygol, and three operational centers, in Agjabedi, Agstafa, and Terter. As of the end of 2009, ANAMA had 547 employees of whom 253 were operational staff. In addition, it had 32 mine detection dogs (MDDs) and six demining machines.^[14]

There are two strategic plans being pursued by the mine action program. The first is a short-term plan to release 306km² of SHAs in accessible areas by the end of 2013.^[15] As of the end of 2009, 184km² remained to be released. ANAMA planned to clear/reduce approximately 12km² and cancel about 14.5km² by the end of 2010.^[16] The second plan is a longer term strategy by which ANAMA plans to increase its operational and management capacity to enable it to address the mine and ERW threat from the occupied areas once they are returned to Azerbaijan.^[17]   

UNDP manages a trust fund for mine action in Azerbaijan, but has not provided a technical advisor since 2005.^[18] In May 2009, UNDP and signed an agreement to extend cooperation for a further three years.^[19]

Recent program evaluations

In June 2009, UNDP conducted a study of the feasibility of establishing an international mine action center in Azerbaijan.^[20] The main purpose was to assess ANAMA’s capacities to deliver international mine action training. According to the draft report, “ANAMA is highly conscious of the need to maintain a strong operational capacity in areas critical to its planning, quality management and technical guidance functions, and has been progressively acquiring a comprehensive range of mine action assets that will allow it to perform these roles effectively and efficiently.”^[21]

Land Release

Mine clearance is conducted by two national NGOs—Dayag (“Relief Azerbaijan”) and the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF)—and ANAMA. Together, they employ 158 demining personnel.^[22]

ANAMA has embraced a land release approach. A new standing operating procedure (SOP) for land release was developed in July 2009 and was in use in Aghdam, Agjabedi, Fizuli, and Terter regions for a trial period of one year.^[23] According to the new system, depending on the threat level, land is classified to three categories: low, medium, and high threat areas. Each type of threat level now has its own clearance methodology, using one or a combination of demining tools.^[24]

Five-year summary of land release^[25]

 

Survey in 2009

ANAMA continues to revise the estimate of contamination using the Resurvey Team from its Training, Survey and Quality Assurance Division (TSQAD).^[26] There are also four technical survey teams.^[27] Non-technical survey in 2009 released more than 12km² of SHAs while technical survey released a further 7.6km². In 2008, a total of 11.6km² of SHA was released by non-technical survey, with technical survey releasing a further 14.1km².^[28]

Survey in 2009^[29]

 

Mine clearance in 2009

In 2009, Azerbaijan cleared almost 1.67km² of mined areas, with the destruction of only 90 mines, suggesting a very low density of contamination (see table below). Particular achievements included completion of clearance of mined areas in Zobjuq in Fizuli region. This operation resulted in building of the settlement for repatriation of 2,200 internally displaced families.^[30] IEPF conducted clearance in Gorandoy, Goygol, and Terter regions while Dayag conducted clearance in Aghdam region.^[31] In 2008, 1.46km² of mined areas were cleared.

As of the end of 2009, total mine clearance capacity consisted of the following: three 38-strong manual demining teams, six demining machines, and 32 MDDs and their handlers.^[32]

Mine clearance in 2009^[33]

 

Clearance of cluster munition contaminated area in 2009

No cluster munition remnants were cleared in 2009. In 2006 at Saloglu, 16 “9M 27 K” cluster munition rockets were discovered (each rocket has 24 submunitions). In 2007, 181 cluster munition artillery shells “Z-O-13” were destroyed (each item has eight submunitions). During 2008 and 2009 no cluster munition remnants were found at Saloglu.^[34]

Battle area clearance in 2009

On 10 June 2009, ANAMA began clearance of the abandoned ASA in Guzdek village.^[35] During subsequent operations, ANAMA’s Special Operations Team (created specifically for the Guzdek clearance project) cleared 1,336,253m² of land, destroying in the process 33 antipersonnel mines and 3,228 items of ERW.^[36]

On 1 April 2009, the third phase of the NATO Partnership for Peace Trust Fund project “Clearance of UXO in Saloglu, Azerbaijan” started. This phase envisages subsurface clearance of the “Red Zone” (a designated clearance area closer to the center of the ASA) and destruction of all items of UXO awaiting open burning and open detonation processes by April 2011. The ANAMA UXO Operations Team, set up for the clearance project at Saloglu, drafted a new standing operating procedure, “Abandoned Ammunition Storage Area Clearance SOP,” which was subsequently approved by senior ANAMA officials and has since been applied in the clearance operations.^[37]

In total, during 2009 ANAMA cleared 406,987m² in Saloglu, destroying 199,888 items of AXO.^[38] Also during 2009 ANAMA’s Emergency Response Team cleared 148 houses, schools, kindergartens, factory yards, and cultural/religious sites. In total 4,463,176m² of land was released, with the destruction of 673 items of UXO and four antivehicle mines.^[39] Other clearance operations were conducted in Agstafa and Fizuli regions.^[40] 

Battle area clearance in 2009^[41]

* This figure includes 1,743,240m² cleared within Saloglu and Guzdek.

Safety of demining personnel

No injuries occurred to demining personnel in 2009.^[42]

Quality management

Internal quality assurance (QA) is carried out by the team engaged in clearance while external QA is the sole responsibility of ANAMA’s TSQAD. This consists of the division head, one Sampling QA/QC Team (one team leader, one section leader, six deminers, and two drivers) with MDDs and handlers where needed. Quality control (QC) is conducted immediately after clearance is completed, through a process of sampling on up to 50% of the cleared land.^[43] Given this capacity, ANAMA has now stopped using the “exchange method” in which one demining team was used to conduct external QA/QC of an area cleared by another team.^[44]

A total of 186 monitoring missions were conducted during 2009. Based on the Clearance Completion Reports, external QC checks were conducted by the TSQAD on 32 sites (2.5km²) of which 18 were minefields (1km²) and 14 battle areas (1.5km²). Most of the QC checks were implemented by the Sampling Team consisting of six deminers, a team leader and a section leader, as well as two MDD groups.^[45]

Other Risk Reduction Measures

In 2009, mine/ERW risk education (RE) activities were implemented by ANAMA mine/ERW risk education department officers, clearance groups (when conditions do not allow them to engage in demining), and ANAMA’s two implementing NGO partners: Dayag and IEPF. RE was also conducted in schools; 52,000 students in 1,200 schools are said to have received information about the dangers of mines/ERW. ANAMA established RE committees in one new district (Tovuz), so the total number of established RE committees across nine districts reached 134. As a result of reports by local residents, including children, 58 mines and 468 items of UXO were located and destroyed, and some former military bases were marked to warn people against entering.^[46]