The Government of Unity State and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday officially launched the construction of a 17.7-kilometer-long dyke extension project south of Bentiu Town.
The planned dyke stretches from south of Bentiu’s Kuerbuone-Nhial Diu Road, and Panhiany-Dhorbor area up to the Thowmangor suburb and aims to reclaim an expansive land for community use.
Engineer Tombe Anthony Jadalla, while giving an overview of the project, said they have so far built 15 kilometers of the dyke.
“The 17.7-kilometer dyke project aims to reclaim 42 square kilometers of land in Panhiany Payam, and so far, we have covered 15 kilometers,” he reported. “The project will protect valuable infrastructure, and it will accommodate about 150,000 households once completed.”
Speaking at the function, Governor Riek Bim Top emphasized the importance of the dyke for the local communities and acknowledged the collaboration between the government, donors, and the implementing partner, IOM.
“This dyke is a step towards mitigating the flooding and reclaiming important government infrastructure, such as schools and buildings of other institutions like Bentiu Prison, which have been submerged by the water for the last 5 years,” he said. “Together with our partners, we will continue to reclaim the land in Bentiu.”
This project is funded by the World Bank and implemented by the IOM, in collaboration with the Government of Unity State.
A resident of Bentiu Town, Diang Puok Kai, said the dyke is very important for the people of Unity State who have suffered from the effects of flooding since July 2021.
“We, the residents of Bentiu Town, will return to normal activities, including farming, that were suspended by the floods,” he said.