Deminers prepare ground for livelihoods pushing through funding challenges View(s):By Kevin de AlwisClearing Sri Lanka’s remaining landmines is not only dangerous it is expensive, time-consuming, and increasingly underfunded. Despite steady progress over the years, The HALO Trust now faces mounting financial and operational challenges that threaten efforts to clear all mines from Sri Lanka by 2028 under the Ottawa Convention. “It costs about US$4 (about Rs 1,239) to clear just one square metre of contaminated land,” explained Hugh Baker, Programme Manager for The HALO Trust in Sri Lanka. “Unlike many post-conflict countries, mines in Sri Lanka are not confined to open land,” said Farzana Badueland of The HALO Trust. “It is restoring dignity and opportunity.”A key strength of HALO’s Sri Lanka programme is its reliance on local deminers, many of whom come from mine-affected communities themselves.

Source: Sunday Times January 04, 2026 03:34 UTC