UNITED NATIONS, Oct 13 (NNN-Xinhua) — UN engineers in South Sudan repaired breaches in a dyke that affected thousands of people in a Unity state displaced persons camp, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday.
“The dyke was constructed last year by UNMISS (UN Mission in South Sudan) and the International Organization for Migration to help protect more than 100,000 displaced families as well as to get access to the airport following the worst floods in 60 years,” said Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“Water is now being pumped out of flooded parts of the camp and the mission is repairing roads north of Bentiu to help secure the trade route, as access to the town is limited because of the flooding,” Dujarric said.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its most recent situation report that flooding impacted more than 900,000 people in 29 counties across South Sudan and the southern part of the Abyei Administrative Area.
It said people in Unity state were in one of the worst affected areas in the country and that the breaching of the dyke occurred in the early hours of Sunday, increasing water levels in Bentiu town. Water reached the highest levels in flooding this year.
OCHA said that funding shortfalls hampered response activities, security and physical access. — NNN-XINHUA
