DUSHANBE, September 3, 2010, Asia-Plus — On Thursday September 2, UNDP CO in Tajikistan and Tajik Mine Action Cell (TMAC) transferred Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) tools and five UAZ vehicles to EOD teams of regional offices of the Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defense (CES) in Dushanbe, Gharm, Khorog, Qurghon Teppa and Khujand, press release issued by UNDP CO in Tajikistan said.
A total cost of all vehicles and tools with medical kits is 125,000 U.S. dollars.
The EOD tools kits include metal detectors, protective visors and vests, hand-set radios, GPS navigation and other accessories necessary for identification and destruction of explosives. The tools and equipment will be used by 30 EOD specialists from different regions of the country, who took a one-month special training that was organized by UNDP and TMAC Project “Building Mine/UXO Capacity within CES”
During the equipment-handover ceremony, Mr. Daler Mirzoaliyev, a TMAC staff, noted that the UNDP and TMAC Project “Building Mine/UXO Capacity within CES” had conducted theoretical trainings for EOD teams involving international trainer for it. These EOD teams are now undertaking practical trainings, where they imitate situations of identifying explosive ordnance in the field, streets and buildings, Mirzoaliyv said.
Ms. Zahira Virani, the UNDP Deputy Country Director, mentioned that this was not the first and the last initiatives of UNDP and TMAC addressed on building CES capacity.
“We have close and active cooperation with CES and are committed to support CES through TMAC projects on mine action and demining capacity building”, – concluded Ms. Virani.
