IOM digs deep for flood prevention in Bentiu, South Sudan

Grrrrrr, grrrr, grrrr, the loud sound of an enoromous excavator at work in Bentiu South Sudan.  

Positioned on a heap of clay soil, it lifts out large and heavy chunks of thick and dense black earth from the ground. It swivels, dumping the loot into the back of a truck, and repeats.

Like clockwork, the process continues over several hours. One truck pulling away when full, replaced by another empty truck, ready to be filled.

This is the sight of ongoing rehabilitation work on the water retention basin at the United Nations Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Bentiu in Unity State, home to over 111,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and located in far north South Sudan.

During the rainy season, which can stretch for up to seven months, Bentiu PoC site is prone to major flooding. It is so bad it causes water to seep into the shelters of tens of thousands of IDPs who fled violence during South Sudan’s civil war. The flooding keeps families trapped inside with no access to services such as primary health care. The flooding also increases the risk of transmission of deadly waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid.

IOM’s Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) unit is responsible for the coordination of humanitarian service delivery at the protection site and the provision of camp management functions which include routine site care and maintenance.

In 2015 when the protection site was first developed, IOM’s CCCM team took the responsibility of site planning which involved the demarcation of residential areas, community centres, healthcare centres and other facilities, internal roads and the drainage system as well as the construction of a water retention basin.

“Before the expansion of the retention basin, every year the Bentiu PoC site would get submerged under water, there was no reprieve,” says Priscila Scalco, Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Programme Coordinator at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in South Sudan.

The rehabilitated and expanded retention basin made up of eight ponds can hold 250 million litres of water. It is connected to a series of culverts and a drainage network around the camp, allowing rainwater to meander through to the basin.

“We have quite a sophisticated system,” says Priscila Scalco, as she points to two pump stations at the far end of the retention basin. “These pump stations allow us to pump water out of the ponds and out of the PoC site at around 6,000 litres per minute and 23 million litres in a day,” she adds.   

Over the years, silt of fine sand and clay built up along the bed from eroding retaining walls and partitions, and from soil flowing through the drainage system, had significantly reduced the capacity of the retention basin.

Last November, IOM CCCM’s Care and Maintenance commenced work to desilt the retention basin, repair its perimeter and partitions to not only restore the original capacity but also increase it by extending the depth of the basin from 1.2 to 1.5 metres. The team also de-silted culverts, cleared litter and debris that blocked water from flowing during the rainy season, eliminating stagnant water in the drainages which was a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

“The works will continue during the rainy season to avoid water stagnation in the drains,” says Ms Scalco.

Despite an array of setbacks that included mechanical breakdowns of machinery, deterioration of security and restrictions of movement imposed following the outbreak of the coronavirus global pandemic, the restoration of the retention basin is nearly complete just as the rainy season looms in.

“Our homes will no longer flood. We can sleep peacefully knowing that we won’t be woken up by water entering into our shelters,” says a resident living in sector 3, block 13 of the Bentiu Protection of Civilians site.  

IOM Camp Management continues to engage residents of the protection site about the dangers of swimming in the retention basin or using water from the basin for domestic use.

“As members of the PoC site community, and more importantly as parents, we will ensure that our children do not play around or swim in the retention basin because it is dangerous,” says the IDP.

IOM South Sudan’s Camp Coordination and Camp Management activities are supported by the Department for International Development (DFID), European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), and the United States Agency for International Development Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA)