HAZARDOUS REMAINS FROM THE FIRST WORLD WAR REMOVED FROM LAKE BOHINJ

Abstract

The Emergency Notification Centre of the Republic of Slovenia, as a component of the RS Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, issues daily Information Bulletins with short reports on extraordinary events in the sphere of protection against natural and other disasters for the past 24 hours. Practically every day, bulletin reports also include information about the findings of unexploded ordnance. According to them, the majority of ordnance found in the territory of Slovenia from various military conflicts originates from the Northern Primorska Region, particularly the locations of the WWI Isonzo Front battles. In 2009, the Northern Primorska team for detection, protection and identification of UXO carried out 180 response actions, representing one half of all Slovenian activities undertaken in the year concerned. Its members found 3467 pieces of unexploded ordnance with a total weight of 5484 kg. In 2009, Slovenian UXO teams were activated in 363 instances and found 9710 pieces of various types of ordnance weighing totally 9184.79 kg. According to the unofficial data, the teams responded 409 times in the year 2010. Although such news usually receives little publicity in Slovenian media and public, it is given more attention locally or regionally. Sometimes, however, the situation can be totally different.