(MA) Emergency response survey, clearance and risk education for conflict affected populations in Wau and Jur River Counties DDG will deploy a Multi-Task Team capable of conducting survey, clearance and risk education (RE) to enhance safety and freedom of movement across Wau and Jur River Counties, Western Bahr el Ghazal state. Tasks which will support the multi-sector humanitarian response in the area will be prioritised. Capacity on the ground will consist of one combined roving Multi-Task Team (MTT) capable of conducting Battle Area Clearance (BAC), Manual Mine Clearance (MMC), Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), Non-Technical Survey (NTS) and Risk Education (RE). The MTT team will be structured and equipped such that it will have the capacity to split into two separate EOD sub-teams that can operate independently of each other, with the Team Leader and Deputy Team leader managing operations of each of the sub-teams, overseen by the Technical Field Manager (TFM). Both EOD sub-teams will be staffed by a dedicated medic and equipped with two vehicles.

The activities proposed under this project are further elaborated below:

 NTS – to target and prioritise clearance according to humanitarian need, survey will be conducted using a mixture of key informant interviews and household questionnaires held with the local population and authorities. NTS will determine the likely locations and density of Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) contamination in target locations, whilst assessing the impact of these hazards on vulnerable populations in any given location.
 MMC / BAC - the MTT will be able to act as a MMC / BAC capacity, performing static clearance activities across larger, clearly defined areas (identified through the above data collection activities and technical survey as appropriate).
 EOD – once NTS has determined the nature of the threat, technical capacities within the team will be deployed to remove and destroy identified hazards. The MTT can split its technical capacity into two separate EOD sub-teams to adopt a more flexible, mobile approach that can address explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) spot tasks, as well as limiting staff exposure to security risks by remaining highly mobile.
 RE – the team will contain a capacity to deliver safety messaging raising awareness amongst at-risk population groups about how to recognise dangerous items, as well as associated safe practices that should be followed, and high risk behaviour that should be avoided in relation to ERW.

DDG has extensive experience operating in Wau, on which it will draw in the implementation of this project. Immediately upon the project commencing, DDG’s MTT will be deployed to Wau Town, where a light base camp will be established and training/accreditation will commence. The MTT will primarily be comprised of existing DDG staff in order to avoid delays relating to recruitment, and assets currently on standby (including 4 Landcruisers - 2 of which will serve as safety vehicles - and a UNIMOG truck) will be moved to Wau to enable the team MTT to rapidly commence activities. Though based out of Wau Town, the team will be highly mobile, roving across Wau and Jur River Counties, both of which remain highly contaminated and have sizable IDP populations.

As the project start date will be in the wet season, locations in Wau and Jur River Counties that are accessible from Wau Town will be prioritised in the early stages of the project. Several such areas remain heavily contaminated with cluster munitions and other ERW, which pose an imminent and significant risk to IDPs and Host Community living or transiting through in these locations. In the dry season, activities will begin in locations further from Wau Town with high rates of contamination. DDG will continue tracking the broader humanitarian response in Wau and Jur River Counties as well as contextual developments that lead to changes in civilian population movements, in order to ensure that areas of operations are prioritised based on continuously evolving civilian and humanitarian needs in the target counties.