23:40, 15 March 2007

Sappers prepare Chechnya farmland to spring sowing

This spring the farmland of Chechnya will be completely cleared of mines and unexploded shells.

With this aim, on March 14, a group of sappers arrived to the capital of the Chechen Republic from Moscow. The correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" was told at the Head Department of the Ministry for Emergencies of the Chechen Republic that during the two months to come, specialists of the Russian Ministry for Emergencies will have to demine several thousands hectares of cultivated land in the territory of Chechnya. The sappers are accompanied by dog specialists and physicians.

"In spite of the fact that demining works are conducted in Chechnya from time to time, and there are less explosions now, the problem of mine danger in the Republic still exists. According to preliminary data, today more than 6,000 hectares of land in Chechnya are hiding a threat for the population. This is the territory of cultivated land and pastures, where local residents breed their cattle," a source at the Ministry for Emergencies of the Republic has informed the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot."

Author: Tamara Madaeva, CK correspondent