By Bosco Bush
Settlers of Bilinyang Boma in Juba County are facing life-threatening risks due to a severe shortage of clean drinking water and reliable healthcare facilities. The lack of these essential services is hampering livelihoods in the area.
Currently, residents rely on untreated water from a nearby stream, and the nearest health facilities are located far away, leaving them vulnerable to various health risks.
Abraham Ngong, the representative of the communities settling in Bilinyang, stated that people in the area embrace social coexistence and unity. However, he emphasizes the most pressing issues are the lack of clean drinking water, hospitals, and mosquito nets.
, “The only problem is the lack of clean water, people are drinking river water. The second problem is the lack of a hospital, there’s no nearby hospital to even get a mere paracetamol drug. Third is the issue of too many mosquitoes. People and children are sleeping without mosquito nets which is risky,” Ngong stated.
Nyagwa Tut, a representative from the local women’s group, echoed these concerns, lamenting the absence of mosquito nets, tents, and effective medical facilities.
“We don’t have mosquito nets, these people you are seeing here even don’t have tents. We also don’t have a hospital,” Tut lamented.
In August 2023, local authorities, in coordination with national authorities, allocated an area of approximately 3 square kilometres in Bilinyang for internally displaced persons (IDPs) from collective sites in Juba, as well as returnees from Sudan.
The population of Bilinyang is estimated to consist of around 5,000 households. However, a recent assessment by UNHCR-HDC indicated that the number of returnees is closer to 1,000 individuals.
While some residents have constructed makeshift shelters from locally available materials, a few plastic sheeting shelters were provided by Concern for Women (CW) at the onset of the settlement’s formation.
Despite the challenges, Chief Paul Tombe Azaria stated that Bilinyang is not a refugee camp but rather a settlement, seeking to clarify the community’s identity amidst ongoing struggles for essential services.