During 1990, the residents of Piramanalankulam were forced to flee their village in Northern Sri Lanka because they found themselves on the front line of the conflict between the Sri Lankan Army and the LTTE. Today, with the conflict over, 30 families have returned to the area with many more to come only to find that the surrounding countryside is contaminated with landmines and UXOs left over from the fighting. Teams of FSD deminers are tackling the problem so that these communities can look forward to a safer future.

An important component of the FSD task force is the Caterpillar D8 Heavy Roller System (D8 HRS) which undertakes several tasks to support the manual deminers who constitute the core of the FSD effort. The HRS was produced in Sri Lanka during 2009 with funding from the office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, part of the U.S. Department of State using a locally procured prime mover. Armour plating was applied to the cab in order to protect the driver and two heavy rollers were manufactured in country and attached to the tractor unit (one front and one rear).

Currently, the D8 HRS machine is conducting ground preparation along the Sri Lanka Army Forward Defence Line (FDL) which runs for 5 Km in this region and passes close to the resettlement area where a primary school is located in Piramanalankulam. “This is a temporary school with three classrooms and is constructed with iron sheets and has 10 students” according to the Principal who is happy that the mines are being removed from his community.

The D8 HRS is designed to carry out a variety of different functions required for effective mine clearance operations. In areas where the LTTE laid nuisance mines the D8 HRS is used to verify large areas of land are free from this type of contamination. Additionally, the D8 is used to conduct technical survey to define the extent of mined areas and also to prepare the ground for manual deminers: The 5 tonne rollers penetrate the soil with its spiked mechanism up to a depth of 10 centimetres which is the usual depth of an active land mine and this action will either damage or detonate a mine.

Four team members maintain and operate the machine which is supervised by a dedicated international Technical Advisor as part of the integrated team approach. The machine typically works for 6 hours per day and is capable of releasing up to 6,000 square metres of land in highly vegetated areas and up to 20,000 on less densely vegetated regions and on cultivation land such as paddy fields which are prevalent in the area. After the ground preparation is completed the land is subjected to manual clearance by manual demining teams, as appropriate: A human deminer typically averages only 10 square metres per day of clearance so the D8 HRS is vital to ensuring the efficient and effective release of land in Sri Lanka where the government estimates that over 400 square kilometers are contaminated with explosive remnants of war.

In Piramanalankulam, The D8 HRS prepared a 5 kilometre base line which allowed manual deminers to quickly gain access to the mined areas. “In general, the D8 helped removing vegetation and pushing a huge amount of concertina barbed wire so that the deminer does not necessarily need to spend time cutting away vegetation down to ground level” says Noel Peacock, Technical Advisor for FSD in Sri Lanka: “The tracks of the machine are capable of withstanding enormous shocks so nothing serious will happen to the D8 even if it touches a mine or UXO”.

In support of the mechanical and manual demining operations, FSD Community Liaison Officer Subhashinie Garusinghe, discussed the recent mine awareness programmes conducted in this village. “We realised the importance of conducting a mine risk education programme in Piramanalankulam based on the information received from Noel. As people begin to return to their areas of origin, there is an urgent need to address the dangers posed by landmines and unexploded ordnance.” FSD aims to promote safer behaviours among communities by conducting awareness raising activities, such as training, group discussions, disseminating informational materials, and the work is being carried out in a sustainable manner in line with the mine clearance activities.

CL Team visit resettled families in Piramanalankulam	A T-shirt consisting safety message from FSD after the the mine awareness briefing
CL Team conducts safety briefings for returnees	CL Teams explains the risks of mines and UXO
CL Teams pasting posters with mine awareness message around the school	FSD CL Officer Subhashinie hands over mines awareness materials to the Principal of the school

FSD has cleared huge swathes of land affected by landmines/ERW in Sri Lanka and stands by ready to continue this important work and release land for safe resettlement and productive use. “We believe that there should be stronger focus on improving the equipment and techniques currently in use. Constantly our teams are conducting extensive tests and research activities to integrate the latest technology on a cost-effective basis in our day-today operations. D8 has been a classic example of our efforts”, says Nigel Robinson, Programme Manager for FSD in Sri Lanka.

FSD has been working in Sri Lanka since 2002 and has located and destroyed over 10,000 landmines this year alone. With a focus on ensuring the safe return of the people displaced by over 25 years of conflict, FSD is committed to clearing landmines so that people can return to their normal life. The D8 HRS is a critical component in this mission.