Pakistani military engineers battle South Sudan floodwaters to protect people in country’s Unity state: Report

• It’s a race against time,” said Major Khizar Dilshad, lead engineer, highlighting growing challenges faced by communities and peacekeeping missions

 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Military Engineering Task Force, serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), is closely monitoring water levels and maintaining the dykes that form the only barrier protecting some 300,000 residents of Bentiu, the capital of South Sudan’s Unity State, according to a UN report received in New York.

Despite the end of the rainy season, stagnant floodwaters that have plagued Bentiu for years continue to rise, the report said, noting that current water levels are only seven centimetres below the highest peak recorded during the catastrophic floods of 2022.

More than 5,400 square kilometres of this low-lying region are submerged under a dirty, brownish lake, transforming the town—including a large displacement camp—into a virtual island. The only protection comes from massive earthen dykes and berms, built and maintained by UNMISS and humanitarian partners.

“Our teams start the day with foot patrols to identify weak spots, which we shore up immediately. It’s a race against time,” said Major Khizar Dilshad, lead engineer for the Pakistani Blue Helmets. He highlighted the growing challenges faced by communities and peacekeeping missions, increasingly affected by climate shocks that are as perilous as armed conflict.

To counter the threat, Pakistani peacekeepers continuously reinforce the dykes by adding soil to increase their height and width, effectively protecting 300,000 people—including displaced families—alongside the airstrip, UN base, and humanitarian facilities.

When the floods first struck, entire villages were washed away, health and education facilities were submerged, and agricultural activities were wiped out.

“The peacekeepers are doing an incredible job monitoring the waters, protecting the dykes, and keeping us safe,” said Rhoda James, who runs a small stall to support her family.

At the Rubkona airstrip, another engineering team from the same Pakistani contingent levels red marram soil with a grader, while an excavator team stands ready to add more.

“This airstrip is critical—it’s the lifeline connecting Bentiu and the displaced community to the outside world. Our top priority is to keep it operable,” said Captain Ambar Asif, a female engineer with the Pakistani contingent.

UNMISS engineers are confident in their ability to protect the town for now, but the limited availability of mud and sand to reinforce the dykes remains a pressing challenge.

“We are almost on a tiny island, and must make do with the finite resources available,” said Major Nouman Zulfiqar, Deputy Commanding Officer of the Pakistani Battalion. “We will continue working to the best of our ability, because so many people depend on us,” he added, pointing to the cluster of makeshift stalls beside the tall dyke walls that also serve as Bentiu’s main supply route to southern neighbours.