Pakistani UN peacekeepers reinforce dykes to save from relentless floods in South Sudan

ISLAMABAD – A team of Pakistani engineers working with the United Nations Missions in South Sudan are now reinforcing hundreds of kilometres of dykes they built some two years ago to save communities in the Unity State from the relentless floods and leaching mud, the UN said.

When the water levels first began rising alarmingly in 2021, UNMISS engineers from Pakistan swiftly led the charge by building hundreds of kilometers of dykes, temporary defense structures against the cascading waters and leaching mud.

“We were the first responders and constructed some 88 kilometers of dykes during the first phase,” explains Major Waqas Saeed Khan, Commanding Officer of the Pakistani engineers.

“When we arrived to Bentiu in 2021, the water level was 90 centimeters deep. By 2022, water levels virtually doubled and, now, in 2023, we are talking of around 190 centimeters of flood waters in some locations,” reveals Major Khan.

He said, “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”.

Hiroko Hirahara, Head of Office for the UNMISS, said: “Our goal, as the largest UN presence on the ground, has been to forge partnerships with all counterparts—humanitarians, local communities, state authorities—to come up with a consolidated plan to alleviate widespread suffering.”

UNMISS peacekeepers from Ghana and Mongolia were also patrolling these dykes continuously to report on and sandbag any breakage or leaks.

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