Cities are home to 54% of the world’s population - a figure projected to rise to 70% by 2050– and are engines of economic output as 80% of a nation's GDP creation occurs in cities. Worryingly, as lives and livelihoods continue to urbanise globally, so does warfare.
Unlike the predominantly rural conflicts of the post-WWII era, urban areas have become the frontlines in recent decades. Cities such as Grozny, Sarajevo, Mosul, Aleppo, Homs, Sirte, Mariupol, and now Gaza City have all suffered extensive damage due to conflict. This shift from rural to urban warfare presents new challenges and requires innovative and collaborative solutions to advance recovery and reconstruction.
Urban areas present complex operating environments for The HALO Trust – explosive hazards are mixed with structural and environmental risks, adding time and cost to life-saving clearance operations. Heavily damaged urban infrastructure complicates the return of communities, meaning community life and local economies cannot recover. Those seeking to rebuild after conflict are confronted with threats to their physical safety, constrained economic opportunity, and the psychological scarring of life among destroyed neighbourhoods.
HALO is taking bold and innovative action to address these issues, and is working with experts in post-disaster urban recovery from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) on ways to make such cities livable as quickly as possible. The combination and integration of our experience will be key to making a difference now and in the future.
Repurposing Rubble for Construction
A pivotal component of rebuilding efforts is dealing with the vast amount of rubble and other ‘debris.’ With so much around, the problem can seem overwhelming. However, hidden amongst the rubble is some hope. Organizations are coming together to use innovative technologies that can transform cleared rubble into a resource for reconstruction.
By using machines that crush rock – aptly named ‘crushers’ - rubble is converted into pieces as small as marbles. This ‘aggregate’ can provide the base for new roads, a component for brickmaking, paving, flood defense or other engineering and construction fill. This innovative circular recycling removes the hazards, clears space, and cuts costs for communities to rebuild. It also cuts emissions in the production of new materials: if cement were a country, it would be the world’s third largest polluter.
Putting People at the Centre
Despite the promising solutions, the process is fraught with challenges. Before rubble can be repurposed, it must first be cleared of waste. Organic materials, such as remnants of wooden doors and windows, must be removed to prevent decay and structural instability in future uses. Legal difficulties can also arise, as property boundaries can become blurred during conflict, leading to disputes over ownership and rights to the recycled materials.
Respect for personal property and conflict sensitivity is vital. When sifting through what was once someone's home, possessions must be handled with care. Typically, work begins at public spaces like schools, which benefit many in the community at the same time.
Past Rubble Repurposing
Rubble and landmine clearance is essential for communities to thrive post-conflict. In fact, we previously transformed rubble into homes in places such as Sri Lanka following the end of its 26-year civil war.
Our staff collected contaminated rubble and earth that had formed a kilometers long defensive position and brought the contents to a central processing plant where the mines were destroyed by a crusher. The remaining debris was turned into bricks and used to build homes for internally displayed people (IDPs). Rubble that once put civilians’ lives at risk became the materials used to rebuild their communities.
HALO’s pilot initiative in Libya
HALO was invited to Libya in 2018 to clear cities with armoured machinery. In the heavily damaged city of Sirte, HALO mechanical clearance teams will trial crushing and recycling processes in cooperation with the local authority. This project will test the feasibility of projects in clearing explosives, process and testing materials, and utilising them in the construction of a stretch of new road. If successful, further project work in Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Ukraine is possible.
In these efforts, HALO – with the generous support of UNEP –is not just clearing hazards. We are laying the foundation for new beginnings, transforming the remnants of conflict into the building blocks of a new future.
