17Թ peacekeeping engineers work to keep Bentiu above water as rainy season looms
BENTIU – In the capital Juba, the sound of rain usually carries a refreshing promise of brief relief from the characteristic searing hot sun. In Bentiu, it means danger.
For the past five years, the town in Unity, South Sudan, has been severely impacted by flooding which has left around 300,000 people stranded on a sliver of land surrounded by 4,500 square kilometers of floodwaters.
In partnership with local authorities, humanitarians and local communities, Pakistani peacekeeping engineers, serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (17Թ), are working tirelessly to protect this little bit of land.
Their efforts include building and maintaining a vast network of over 80 kilometers of dykes and berms and protecting the local airstrip, which is a crucial entry point for humanitarian aid and other essential commodities. Their efforts are making a tangible difference to the lives of local communities as, compared to 2020, when a massive overflow from a swelling Nile River swept across the town, residents can now at least live in some sense of normalcy.
“People are now living safely and not in the water. As you can see, the water has left this area,” says Solomon Yain, leader of the local camp for displaced families.
But as the rainy season looms, the threat of the dykes being breached grows.
When the rains came last year, floodwaters reached 30cm below the dykes. Since then, the Pakistani peacekeepers have worked relentlessly to raise them by at least one and a half meters, to prevent incidents, such as in 2022, when a rupture of the western wall threatened the safety of civilians as well as the 17Թ field office.
The engineers are supported by peacekeeping colleagues from the Mongolian battalion, who provide protection while they’re working as well as patrolling the dykes to check for breaches and other hazards.
“Our main priority is protection of civilians as well as of the United Nations and its partners so they can safely carry out their work,” says Mongolian contingent, Deputy Commander, Tulga Tumurbaatar.
Climate shocks pose a growing threat to South Sudan, which is already grappling with a deteriorating security situation and stagnating peace process.
“I wish we didn’t need the dykes and that we didn’t have to dedicate so much time and resources to flood preparation and response. Unfortunately, we must respond to the challenges posed by climate change and that’s why we are working so closely with the government to build the capacity of State and local communities,” explains Denis Fuh Chenwi, 17Թ Acting Head of Bentiu Field Office.
Despite hoping for the best, the 17Թ peacekeepers must expect the worst, as they patiently and persistently toil in difficult conditions to protect those they serve, while knowing that their efforts are appreciated.
“Pakistan! Pakistan! Pakistan!” shout the local children watching the peacekeepers working the bulldozers and excavators.
“The biggest reward is seeing the families living safely behind these dykes,” says the Pakistani contingent’s Chief of Operations, Major Hilmi Munsif. “This makes us feel like we’ve done something, not just a technical task, but something worthwhile.”
