BEIRUT, July 6 -- On July 3, local time, 20 peacekeepers from the construction engineering contingent of the 20th Chinese peacekeeping force to Lebanon under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) completed the task of building gabion walls for the UNIFIL’s Nepal Battalion with high quality and efficiency. As of now, the contingent’s annual engineering tasks have all been successfully completed as scheduled.
The barracks of the Nepal Battalion is located near the Blue Line along Lebanon’s southern frontier, the temporary ceasefire line between Lebanon and Israel. The original fortifications on both sides of the barrack entrance have been severely damaged for long-term exposure to high temperature and rain wash, with few defense functions left, and major safety hazards emerging thereby. It was in urgent need to build new fortifications.
Upon receiving the task, the contingent dispatched a 20-member construction team to the Nepal Battalion to carry out construction operations. Due to the limited space of the construction site, the machine operator had to be in tacit cooperation with his assistant in the loading operation. Even worse, part of the construction site is extremely bumpy, and the construction machinery had to operate on slopes of nearly 30 degrees, which is highly risky and also a great test for the operator’s ability to have precise operation of the engineering machines.
After nearly one month’s continuous hard work, the contingent completed the construction of gabion walls one week ahead of schedule, building a solid and reliable protective barrier for the Nepalese peacekeepers.
It is learned that since its deployment to the mission area in Lebanon in August last year, the 20th Chinese peacekeeping construction engineering contingent has completed 67 engineering tasks such as road drainage system repairs, air defense bunker construction, and standard fence erection featuring excellent quality, high efficiency, and first-class standards.
