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= The Effects of UXOs on Post Conflict Societies = There are a variety of effects unexploded ordnance contamination has on post-conflict societies other than physical harm from detonation. Segments of society which are also negatively affected include foreign direct investment, education, aid distribution, industrialization, and the environment.

Industrialization
UXO presence reduces farming communities’ ability to use industrial machinery due to higher likelihood of triggering a buried munition.

Large scale infrastructure projects such as road, rail, dam, or bridge building which require heavy machinery are prevented for the same reason.

These two factors in turn reduce road building and therefore prevent other more remote communities form industrializing themselves.

Planning necessary infrastructure projects become significantly delayed or are outright impossible in their completion.

Aid Distribution
Contaminated areas experience more difficulties in providing humanitarian aid to rural or remote communities. Infrastructure for transportation is either impossible to develop, or preexisting infrastructure is difficult to demine.

Aid distribution must be done in a timely manner, and in contaminated countries, significant time and resources are spent to find new routes. If none can be found, aid workers find themselves at increased levels of risk to provide aid.

The total amount of aid which can be delivered decreases in contaminated areas due to a lower frequency of deliveries and transportation vessels needing to be in smaller volumes.

Environmental Effects
Demining procedures destroy topsoil. This causes increased erosion and eliminates swathes of arable land.

Munitions which are left over a long period of time degrade and eventually poison the soil or groundwater around them.

Education
The inhibition of necessary resources correlates with decreases in education. Injuries experienced by older members of the community take children away from classrooms to support a family’s sustenance agriculture techniques.

Foreign Direct Investment
Foreign direct investment from more developed nations is discouraged due to difficulty in clearing contaminated areas.