According to the UN, Pakistani peacekeepers in South Sudan are currently strengthening hundreds of kilometres of dykes that they constructed about two years ago to protect people in the Unity State from the gushing waters and seeping muck.
Pakistani engineers from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) took the initiative to quickly build hundreds of kilometres of dykes to stop rampaging flood waters when the water levels first started to rise alarmingly in 2021.
“We were the first responders and constructed some 88 kilometres of dykes during the first phase,” Major Waqas Saeed Khan, the commanding officer of the Pakistani engineers, said.
Major Khan added that when Pakistani engineers arrived in Bentiu (the capital of the Unity state) in 2021, the water level was deep enough, but then it began rising steadily even more to dangerous levels in some locations.
“Our work in past months has mainly been to reinforce dykes. We are transforming them into three-and-a-half meter high walls, which are wide enough for vehicles and people to use as roads,” he stated.
The mission’s objective, according to Hiroko Hirahara, the head of UNMISS, has been to build relationships with all counterparts, including aid organisations, local communities, and state authorities, in order to develop a comprehensive strategy to lessen the widespread suffering of the flood-affected population.
According to the news release, peacekeepers from Ghana and Mongolia also regularly monitor the dykes to report on and sandbag any breaking or leakage.
Thousands of affected civilians have received significant food, water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Refugee Agency, and UNHCR.
