A new road in the African town of Abyei, which was recently reconstructed with the help of the Vietnamese Engineering Unit Rotation 1. (Photo courtesy of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations) For years, Abyei, adisputed area between Sudan and South Sudan, has been affected by severeflooding, especially during the rainy season.
Poor living conditionswith almost no toilet facilities are also a factor for widespread diseasesin the local community.
Abyei’s mayor has calledupon the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) to ask forsupport in developing the water drainage system to relieve the situation.
On July 13, Vietnam’sEngineering Unit Rotation 1 set out to study the local terrain under the taskassigned by the UNISFA.
The field trip revealedone of the most difficult issues in the area that contributeto insufficient drainage system: no slopes, and minor differences in thelevels of residential areas and the river water.
The Vietnamese unitproposed to direct drainage flow to two locations: the UNISFA water reservoirand the swamp at the far end of the town.
While the engineeringunit had been ready to get to work and prepared three excavators and variousdumping trucks for the mission, the challenge remained in the acceptance of thelocal people.
Aware of the situation,the Vietnamese unit set out to talk to the village elders and went knockingdoor to door to communicate the message of their mission.
Reducing the distancebetween the peacekeepers and the local people, and receiving the latter’sapproval, construction for the drainage system was allowed to begin.
Within two days afterthe water flows were redirected and improved, the town’s flooding issues weresignificantly mitigated.
Taking a holisticapproach, the Vietnamese engineering unit continued working to improve thearea’s entire drainage system, connecting the main and auxiliary flows in thehope to prevent flood risks in the future.
However, expanding thesystem means they must restructure the roads in town.
The unit assignedCivilian-Military Coordination (CIMIC) officers to work with the UNISFA andobtained old, discarded sewer pipes.
These pipes were thenrepaired and used to install 138 metres of circular sewers, and 36 culverts.
To make up for the lackof building materials, the unit improvised by using wooden planks and sandbagsto finish the road construction.
In addition, the Vietnamese unit also worked on a 200-metre-longroad to help children go to school easier.
In the past, the road leading to the local school was flooded andcovered in mud.
While the team actively worked with local authorities to alleviatethe problems, their work encountered multiple challenges due to the high costsof murram - a type of red soil used for road surfaces in Africa, anddifficulties in moving soil from place to place in the area.
The solution then was to use old cement from the UN mission toreconstruct the road.
Nearly 100 cubic metres of soil was used to raise the school’sfoundation to prevent flooding on a total area of 400 square metres - which wasalso made into a sports field for the children.
Apart from the new road, Vietnam’s Engineering Unit Rotation 1also presented the school with two new garbage incinerators, andthree waste containers, alongside one set of pillars, a net and fivevolleyballs.
During the month of deploying the mission, the unit had spent a totalof 700 hundred working days of the entire personnel and 500 hours working withthe machinery, moving over 3,000 cubic metres of soil, and dredging more than20 kilometres of the drainage canals.
Their work has also left a lasting positive impression on thelocal people.
The town’s mayor Aach Deng Biong personally gifted the Vietnameseunit with four goats – a substantial asset to African people.
Expressing his gratitude, the mayor said that he wished the unitwould stay in the area for an extended period of time and provide furthersupport to local people.
Aach Deng Biong also penned a letter to the UNISFA head of missionto commend the support and contributions of the Vietnamese troops.
For the Vietnamese engineering unit, their humanitarian work representsthe qualities and traditions of Vietnam’s army, garnering trust from localpeople, the UN peacekeeping forces, and the UNISFA.
Their achievements translate into Vietnam’s responsibility andcredibility to the international community and reaffirm the capacity of theVietnamese engineering units in UN peacekeeping missions./.
VNA
