Vice President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Mr Steven Groff on Friday visited a new water supply plant in Vientiane province funded by the bank with US$1.8 million, ahead of its official opening next month.
Construction of the new water supply plant, which is located close to the Nam Ngum 1 dam, was completed last May, provincial official Mr Thavisouk Inthasombath said.
“From May to July we provided water free of charge, and then we charged 3,000 kip per cubic metre,” he told Vientiane Times.
With the pipeline in place, 1,980 households in nine villages in Keoudom and Viengkham districts will have access to clean water from the treatment plant.
The provision of water in Keooudom district has been funded under the Northern and Central Regions Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project.
It was the intention that this project would supply water to 11 villages in Keoudom and Viengkham districts, but unfortunately, two of these villages are too far away from the water storage tank, so only nine villages can be supplied with water, Mr Thavisouk explained.
Currently, everyone using water supplied through the ADB-funded project live in urban areas of the two districts. Villagers living a short distance away have wells or bore wells but many of these areas often lack clean water, especially in the dry season.
The new system is capable of supplying 1,300 cubic metres of water per day.
“We are very proud and happy that so many people now have a source of clean drinking water.
It will help to improve general health and reduce the prevalence of food poisoning and waterborne diseases,” Mr Thavisouk said.
About 80 percent of the population of Vientiane province currently has access to clean water.
Those living in the provincial capital are connected to the municipal water supply, while those living in mountainous areas have access to freshwater springs on a year round basis.
The ADB has provided financial assistance to the northern and central regions of Laos to help spur economic development, and to help relieve the high incidence of poverty.
The bank's aim is to improve the accessibility, quality, reliability, and sustainability of water provision in northern Laos.
It has also funded many other development projects, including access roads and footpaths, and improved drainage and sanitation in residential areas.
