According to Major General Vu Tri Xuyen, Deputy Captain of the Vietnam military engineers team in Abyei, in the dry season, the entire population in the central area of Abyei almost relies on the water sources from the wells dug by the United Nations Interim Security Force (UNISFA) or even from the remaining water puddles in the region. Therefore, the Vietnamese force decided to conduct surveys and install clean water supply points surrounding Highway Military Camp for local inhabitants.
The water supply is divided into two sessions, each lasting 2 hours (9-11 a.m. and 3-5 p.m.) with a daily average water flow of 6,000 – 8,000 liters. In addition, the water is treated by a water filtration system standardized by the United Nations (UN), and distributed through a pipeline buried underground to prevent any damage.
Initially, there will be officials and staff to support and instruct the residents on how to use and get the water from containers. At the same time, signposts will also be installed at the site to guide the users on the timing and water collecting procedure. Before this, the military engineers had supplied clean drinking water under RO water treatment system for the prayers at Abyei’s church every Friday weekly and the children at the church’s Kindergarten.
Moreover, it is reported that after the clean water supply installation, not only the residents near the camp but also the people from distant areas have come to collect water. Therefore, the force will continue to upgrade the supply capacity of the system to 10,000 – 12,000 liters a day to meet the demand for clean water of locals.
