In order to protect people in Bentiu, South Sudan, from the consequences of the ongoing floods, Pakistani engineers working with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) are shoring up temporary structures.
The hundreds of kilometres of dykes that Pakistani UN peacekeepers constructed in 2021 to protect towns in Bentiu, the capital of Unity State, from gushing waters and seeping mud, are now being reinforced.
Two years of nonstop flooding in Bentiu, South Sudan, have produced a climatic disaster unlike any other this young country has ever known.
Nonetheless, the UN mission claims that Pakistani engineers working with UNMISS “continue to mount an exceptional response to save lives, sustain livelihoods, and protect civilians.”
The majority of our recent effort has been focused on fortifying dykes. According to the state-run media, Major Waqas Saeed Khan, the commanding officer of the Pakistani engineers.
“We are converting them into three and a half metre high barriers, which are wide enough for vehicles and people to use as highways.”
UNMISS engineers from Pakistan took the initiative to create hundreds of kilometres of makeshift defence structures against the rushing flood waters in 2021 when the water levels first started to rise.
Pakistani military engineers moved heavy equipment to the most vulnerable areas right once and soon started building dykes to divert the water flow away from the town.
Major stated, “We were the first responders and built over 88 kilometres of dykes during the first phase.”
The water was 90 centimetres deep in 2021, he recalled. Water levels had almost doubled by 2022, and as of 2023, some areas are experiencing flood waters of about 190 centimetres.
Also, UNMISS forces from Mongolia and Ghana are constantly patrolling the dykes to report on any breaks or leaks and to sandbag them.
According to a UN statement, the two years of nonstop rain have resulted in “homes being swept away, people’s fields and harvests ruined,” and thousands of people being evacuated.
In order to provide help with food, water, sanitation, and hygiene, the UN mission has developed relationships with humanitarians, local populations, and state authorities.
Throughout the past 60 years, Pakistan has made a substantial contribution to UN peacekeeping. Since 1960, more than 200,000 Pakistani men and women have bravely and skillfully served in 46 UN Missions around the world.
Pakistan contributed substantially to UN peacekeeping missions as of December 2022 with 4,331 military and police personnel.
