Updated Wednesday April 18 2007
MAIC > Events & Proceedings > 2002 > SE Asia Mine Action Cooperation & Technology Workshop > HMAU1 Demining Unit Operation

HMAU1 Demining Unit Operation
Presentation                                                                                       (6 March 2002, Bangkok)
  • This script use with HMAU#1 Demining Unit  operation

Good morning all distinguish guest. I'm Lt.Worachin Yaowarat, Demining unit plan officer. On this occasion may I present you the Demining operation of Demining unit.

Demining unit personal

The Demining unit consist of 12 officers and 69 non -commission officers no conscripts and can be broke down as follow

·         Head quarter

·         Paramedic section

·         Rapid deployment platoon

·         Demining platoon which made by 4 Demining squad

·         Mine detector dog section which made by 3 squad

·         Machine section

Mine field environment 

·    The target area of mine clearance is 1.97 sq.km.

·    The terrain here is a dense forest mostly is the vegetation with tree diameter around 10-20 cm.

·    Soil type is clay. In comparison with the dry season the ground is very dry and harder but in the rainy season the ground is muddy. Some area are laterite which is very hard

·    Regarding to this area was used as temporally refugee camp. That is why there are many metal left in this area such as fish can, nail, wire, coin. So it difficult for Demining.

Demining procedure

Mine clearance at 1st HMAU is the combined operation , consist of machine , mine detector dogs and manual Deminer.

·    We mark out 100x100 meter for Demining proposes..

·    The SDTT set in to clear the area marked by using the following 16 procedure

1.  Firstly area has to be remove vegetation by using the following  type  equipment Tempest  - SDTT ? BDM 48

2.  To detonate some of the mine by using Roller, round 1

3.  To pick up the metal pieces from the soil surface by using magnet , round 1.

4.  To loosen and break up the soil ; 10 cm deep by using heavy cultivator , round 1

After that it will be the process of using roller , magnet , and cultivators. It is the repetition operation in the area , 5 round for each equipment.

After completing above 16 procedure and the machine has not activate a mine , a random check of 10 % of the 100 X 100 square mater area will be perform by using Deminer and mine detector dog team.

If the machine activated a mine the Deminer and mine detector dogs team will clear the 100 % of the area.

 

This chart you now see is the monthly progress of unit operation.

This chart is year 2000.

During this period there was no available equipment for clearing vegetation and all operations were preformed manually.

In January 2001  2 Tempest has arrived and started operation of

vegetation clearing for Demining operation.

In February 2001   2 SDTT has arrived and started to assist Demining operation.

In August 2001 BDM.48 has arrived and started to assist Demining operation.

This chart is year 2002.

You can see that the operation progress is more increase and effective than last year.

 

 

This chart is the Working days of SDTT

  • The blue one is Total day of operation
  • The yellow one is Total day or repair and maintenance.
  • The purple one is Raining days. The soft soil problem obstruct machine operation.
  • The green one is the special operation such as clearance UXO. Operation at Pakchong district.
  • The white one is the other tasks such as practicing and holidays.

 

 
This chart is the Working days of TEMPEST
  • The blue one is Total day of operation
  • The yellow one is Total day or repair and maintenance.
  • The purple one is Raining days. The soft soil problem obstruct machine operation.
  • The green one is the special operation such as clearance UXO. Operation at Pakchong district.
  • The white one is the other tasks such as practicing and holidays.
 
This chart is the working days of BDM.48
  • The blue one is Total day of operation
  • The yellow one is Total day or repair and maintenance.
  • The purple one is Raining days. The soft soil problem obstruct machine operation.
  • The green one is the special operation such as clearance UXO. Operation at Pakchong district.
  • The red one is practicing.
  • The white one is the other tasks such as practicing and holidays.

 

This chart is average operation progress.

 

In year 2000 

·    The green one is the average progress of Deminer which was 10 sq.m./day As there was only manual Deminer.

In year 2001 

·    The green one is the average progress of Deminer  which was 150  sq.m./day

·    The blue one is the average progress of SDTT  which  was 500 sq.m. / hr./ machine

·    The red one is the average progress of TEMPEST which was 75 sq.m./hr.

·    The purple one is the average progress of BDM.48 which was 250 sq.m./hr.

·    You can see that the average in 2001 is increased because we have receive more machine.  

In year 2002

·    The green one is the average progress of Deminer  which was 500  sq.m./day

·    The blue one is the average progress of SDTT which  was 700 sq.m. / hr./ machine

·    The red one is the average progress of TEMPEST which was 100 sq.m./hr.

·    The purple one is the average progress of BDM.48 which was 50 sq.m./day

You can see that the average progress in 2002  is increased because it is a dry season that suitable for machine operation. The operator gain more skill. Also the machine was more developed than 2001. 

 Unit opinion

All machine supported help increase more safety and ability of Demining operation. However ,we think that it would be better if the machine can be developed more effectiveness of Demining  such as

1.  The machine engine should be more powerful

2.  As the ground is harder in dry season , the equipment like plain disc is needed to cultivate the hard soil 20 cm. deep at first

3.  For SDTT , control lever is very hard. It is better to re-design and make it?s easy to work with.

4.  The air condition system and cap control of SDTT should be develop because it is very hot and dusty inside

5.  To increase the capability , should attach magnet to TEMPEST for picking up the metal pieces on the ground surface

6.     BDM.48 should be able to Demine the area by itself like SDTT. 

 

 

Next I would like to present the demonstration of the combined tasks using both mine detector dogs and manual Deminers.

         

One Demining squad consists of the following personals.

·         Squad leader

·         Mine detector dog team supervisor

·         2 Dog handlers with dogs

·         4 Deminers (which consist of 2 teams within the squad)

·         Medical Personals

Daily standard operation procedure

 

Check personal physical condition.

·         Check for metal inside personal equipment such as

  • Watch

  • Necklace

  • Ring

·    Demining wearing have to be non metallic because the metal detector locates mines by sending magnetic wave to detect some metal consisted in mine. The metal in the environment nearby might disturbed   the operation , cause the signal error and lower the detecting capability.

  • Body armor weight 3.3 kilograms. Fragmentation of an exploding mine with a velocity of 450 meters/second

  • Safety mask is made of special material  5 millimeters thickness and weight is 1 kilogram

Each Deminer is required to check his personal issued Demining equipment for proper and safe operation.  

The personal issued equipments are as follow.

1.     One meter stick

2.     Trip wire feeler

3.     Long handle branch cutter

4.     Large handle vegetation cutter

5.     Small handle branch cutter

6.     Small handle vegetation cutter

7.     Prober

8.     Trowel (เกรียง)

9.     Magnet

10. Brush

11. Small spade (เสียม)

12. Axe

13. Hammer

14. Stake

15. Mine marker

16. Red tape and Metal detector

After all personal issued equipments are checked; Demining squad will proceed to work area.

·    The Demining squad will work in the area that has been cleared vegetation by the machine.

·    The area of operation will be divided into lane with the size of 1 by 5 meters.

·    The first dog will be sent to search in the lane.

·    Dog has the sense of receiving odor is 10,000 times better than human.

·    If the dog doesn?t sense any suspicious item, the second dog will be sent to search again. If it doesn?t sense any item, the lane is consider clear and safe.

·    Then the team will move to operate in the other unclear lane and go over the same tasks.

·    If the dog search the lane and detect the odor of an object suspected underground he will alert his handler by giving the sit response.

·    Then the handler will give the dog a ball as reward.

·    The handler will place the mine marker to identify that location. The handler will inform his supervisor the location of the object found by the dog.

·    After that, the supervisor will coordinate with the squad leader.

·    Then the first Deminer will check the area as well as check the effectiveness of metal detector in free metal area and access the lane to recheck from the beginning of the lane until the end.

·    At the curious spot, the metal detector will ring off, then the Deminer will place the mine marker one hand width of the suspicious item.

·    Then, The second Deminer will enter the lane and probe the area at 30 degree angle from left to right,  from down to up , 2 cm increments.

·    We do this to prevent putting full down pressure on the detonator. In the real operation it will take about 30 minutes to probe each positions but today demonstrated we will fast forward

·    If the item found is a mine. The second Deminer will inform his squad leader, then he will be ordered to expose the mine by ex/cavating the soil not over than one third of that mine, then the area is mark by red tape and warning sign of mine.

·    After completion of this, the mine is detonate by using explosive material.