Metal Detector (Manual Demining)
The most basic tool of demining. A deminer uses the detector to check for metal signals in the ground, then carefully investigates each spot that gives a signal and removes any landmine or unexploded ordnance. In Cambodia, manual clearance teams from CMAC, the HALO Trust, MAG, and others use it every day.
Uses
Each deminer takes charge of a lane and checks the ground little by little with a metal detector. Spots that give a signal are marked and then carefully investigated and cleared following trained procedures. Detectors are sometimes also used for underwater surveys.
Features
A detector that responds to metal in the ground. According to GICHD, manual clearance is slow going, but it gives very high confidence in the land that has been searched, which is why it is the most widely used method in the world.
Advantages
It is highly reliable, so cleared land can be handed back to people with confidence. It can be used flexibly on different terrain and vegetation, and training systems for deminers are well established.
Challenges
Because it reacts to any metal, including fragments such as nails and cartridge cases, checking each signal takes a great deal of time. According to JICA materials, with conventional methods about 900 metal signals had to be checked to find one anti-personnel mine.
Sources & references
- Ref 0072