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Contacts
Tajikistan National Mine Action CenterAyni 121
Dushanbe, Tajikistan,
www.mineaction.tj
Tel/Fax: (992 37) 227-0947,
221-66-87
Impact Survey
FSD survey teams conducted the initial Impact Survey in 2004-2005 at the Tajik-Afghan and the Tajik-Uzbek borders as well as in Central Region of Tajikistan. As a result of the survey, a total contaminated area of about 50 km2, in 146 Suspected Hazard Areas (SHA), has been registered.
The initial Impact Survey did not count on a wealth of available information such as military minefield records. In addition, because the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan was guarded by Russian forces, access into border areas for the survey teams was limited. Likewise, access to areas along the Tajik-Uzbek border was limited because the exact borderlines have not been delineated.
Distance survey
Distance survey method was used at the Tajik-Uzbek Border (TUB) in the Initial Impact Survey due to the lack of access to SHAs at the TUB.
The Survey team, accompanied by a border guard, approached the SHAs as closely as possible, to a distance agreed with the Tajikistan border forces. The Survey Team leader chose the viewing point from which the team leaders, using binoculars, recorded information concerning the SHA, recorded coordinates of the viewing point and reported all gathered information in the IMSMA forms. As the SHAs were identified from a distant viewing point, it was considered impossible that their sizes were calculated.
Data gathered by distance survey includes all information, which was collected during the impact survey and did not provide a concrete description of these areas or their size. Due to all the shortcomings using this technique, the size of the areas is not considered accurate.
Minefield records
In 2005-2006 the security of the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan was turned over to Tajikistan border forces. On February 2008 TMAC officially received minefield records from the Main Department of Border Forces of the State Committee of Security of the Republic of Tajikistan. Although records of some minefields laid by the government, as well as the opposition forces during the civil war, exist, as do records of mines laid by Russian forces along the border with Afghanistan, heavy snowfalls, avalanches, rock falls and mudslides make location of those mined areas very difficult.
Re-survey operations
Because of the lack of experience of the Survey Teams, lack of minefield records and survey equipment, the first Impact survey (2004-2005) did not yield high quality results. The approximate sizes of recognized SHAs were miscalculated and the descriptions of SHAs were not clearly recorded. For this reason, it has been necessary to carry out re-survey operations in these areas.
Re-survey procedures are similar to standard impact survey procedures. The main difference in the re-survey was the use of minefield records, new survey equipment and new survey methods. The Survey team was also comprised of trained and experienced staff.
