Grant Aid Project “the Project for the Expansion of Water Supply System in Luang Prabang City”

In Luang Prabang City, the water supply rate surpassed 91% in 2017, achieving the urban water supply rate target set by the Lao PDR. However, a high leakage rate of 27.2% (2017) was identified. This was due to the deterioration of the water distribution pipe network in the city center. The insufficient capacity of the Nam Khan Water Treatment Plant, Luang Prabang’s main water source, also made it difficult to purify a sufficient volume of water, particularly during the rainy season. Luang Prabang’s old town is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site and is expected to see continued growth in water demand due to the projected increase in tourist arrivals in future, necessitating a safe and stable water supply. To resolve this issue, the Government of Japan provided grant aid to the Lao PDR for " the Project for the Expansion of Water Supply System in Luang Prabang City". The project supported the renewal of water distribution pipes and the improvement of the functions of the Nam Khan Water Treatment Plant, etc. The executing agencies (Department of Water Supply, Ministry of Public Works and Transport: DWS-MPWT, Department of Public Works and Transport, Luang Prabang Province: DPWT-LPB, Project Implementation Unit: PIU and Luang Prabang Water Supply State Enterprise: WSSE-LPB) signed a consultant contract with Nihon Suido Consultants Co., Ltd. and a contractor contract with Kubota Construction Co., Ltd. Construction began on February 10, 2022, and was completed on July 31, 2024. It is expected that the executing agencies will now provide a stable supply of safe water to the residents and visitors to Luang Prabang City, including the World Heritage Site, through appropriate operation and maintenance. The heritage area will also become more resilient against fires due to the installation of fire hydrants as part of this project.

It has been reported that the piping work for this project resulted in varying degrees of inconvenience to the daily lives of residents and the operations in business and tourism industries. JICA checked to see what was happening specifically. It was confirmed that there were complaints about multiple intermittent water outages and drops in water pressure without adequate advance notice to some residents and the business and tourism industries. Complaints included that construction work was carried out during the tourist industry's peak season, which begins with the dry season. Traffic congestion was another result of the work. JICA reported on these matters and requested the vice provincial governor and the executing agencies to improve the situation. It was confirmed that the executing agencies, together with the consultant and the contractor thoroughly implemented a distribution of flyers and verbal advance notice of water outage plans to residents and proprietors in the project area. When operations at the water treatment plant were temporarily suspended due to construction work, it was also confirmed that the executing agencies responded to these water service outages and instances of reduced water volume and pressure by installing temporary pumps and water tanks. Furthermore, when carrying out the construction work, the executing agencies took the opinions of residents and the business and tourism industries into greater consideration to confirm the time and locations that had been avoided in the original plan, also additionally reidentified the time and locations that would be affected and adjusted the construction schedule accordingly.

In future for similar projects in Laos, it is important to continue to request executing agencies to ensure the appropriate implementation of projects while considering respective geographical characteristics, roadways, and traffic conditions of the target area from the planning stage to completion by: 1) Hosting explanation meetings for residents and business proprietors; 2) Formulating construction plans that take into account the rainy season and tourist seasons in tourist areas; 3) Offering responses to inquiries from residents, and; 4) Providing thorough advance notice of expected water outages.