In Pix: Landmine extraction in Muhamalai

This week, the Sunday Times covered HALO Trust's commemoration for the clearance of Northern Muhamalai, one of Sri Lanka's former frontlines. During the visit, we also examined the demining activities being conducted in the area and the clearance processes that have been tailored to Muhamalai's terrain. 

For the full article on today's Sunday Times - Recovering a mined patch of land to breathe free once more

In Pix -

A female deminer carries a live mine to the designated disposal area

Demining in Sri Lanka uses a combination of manual and mechanical methods. In this picture, an armoured soil sifter is used to separate contaminated soil for further inspection and clearance. 

Demining is also carried out in the lagoon area using an "amphibious excavator" that allows extraction to take place safely in shallow water.

A live landmine found in contaminated soil.

Contaminated soil areas are marked with red dipped stick markers.

Once contaminated soil is separated deminers use manual tools to sift through the dirt and spot mines. 

Discovered landmines are disposed of in the "burning area"

Mines are placed inside a cage structure to avoid fragmentation.

They are then set on fire in the presence of an SLA officer who signs off on the disposal. Deminers maintain a safe distance in their protective gear while the mines are blasted off.