An improved water supply system is handed over to Savannakhet and Khammuan provinces. - VT
VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/Asia News Network): Savannakhet province: Thousands of people in rural areas of Savannakhet and Khammuan provinces now have access to piped water and can drink clean, safe and high quality water, thanks to a grant from the EU through KfW.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport on Wednesday handed over the Scaling-Up Nutrition and WASH Infrastructure Project (SUNWIP) to provincial authorities, with people in six districts now able to access clean water.
An improved water supply system is handed over to Savannakhet and Khammuan provinces.
Speaking at the project handover ceremony, Deputy Minister of Public Works and Transport Ms Vilaykham Phosalath called on provincial authorities and local residents to protect water resources so that they are sustained for everyone’s benefit.
Provincial Public Works and Transport Departments must supervise local branches of the Water Supply State Enterprise to operate and maintain water supplies in accordance with the requisite technical standards, she advised.
The handover ceremony was attended by the governors of the two provinces and representatives from EU and KfW, along with officials from line ministries.
Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Laos, Mr Vincent Viré, said that after four years of work, water supply systems had been built or rehabilitated, allowing a supply of year-round clean water for 62,000 people now, and up to 90,000 people in the future.
To assure the sustainability of supplies, the project had provided technical training to the water supply state-owned enterprises in both provinces, he said.
Director General of the ministry’s Water Supply Department, Mr Sompong Sitthivong, said the SUNWIP project had received a grant of 15 million euros from the EU through KfW.
The project has three main components. Firstly, piped water supply infrastructure was improved in the districts of Nong, Xepon, Atsaphangthong, and Outhoumphon in Savannakhet province; and Hinboun and Yommalath districts in Khammuan province.
Secondly, project staff raised awareness of the importance of hygiene and sanitation in schools and remote villages.
Lastly, the project strengthened the ability of the Water Supply State-Owned Enterprise to ensure sustainable management and operation of the new, improved water supply systems.
The project also directly contributes to the implementation of the National Nutrition Strategy to 2025.
Many communities in Laos, especially those in rural areas, do not yet have access to piped water and sanitation.
Only 66 per cent of primary schools have this access, according to an official survey conducted in 2017.
