KABUL - Close to 60 more square kilometers of Afghan lands were freed from mines and explosive remnants of war in the 12 month period up to March 2015, officials from the Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan (MAPA) said this week in releasing an annual progress report.

According to MAPA’s new report, the organization succeeded in making 58.5 square kilometres mine-free, which was short of the organization’s goal to clear 83.8 square kilometres during the period. Altogether, MAPA cleared 1,452 hazardous areas in more than 100 districts across the country, declaring them free of all mines and other kinds of explosive contamination.

The report indicates that a decrease in funding not only resulted in MAPA not achieving its stated objectives this year, but also set the programme back, which MAPA officials say might jeopardize its long-term objective of making Afghanistan completely mine-free by 2023.

According to MAPA statistics, the remaining 4,266 hazardous areas continue to impact 1,603 communities, 255 districts and 33 provinces, indirectly affecting the Afghan economy, as these hazardous areas are blocking access to arable land and are impeding the rollout of key development initiatives.

In addition to detailing MAPA’s clearance operations, the report highlights how MAPA representatives have been delivering risk-awareness education to communities across Afghanistan, with a particular focus on the children who form the largest group of victims of mines and explosive remnants of war.