Taking the first steps to bring clean water and improved sanitation to nearly 2,000 people in Lao PDR: kick-off, community voices and climate risk assessment

Visiting the proposed location for the Water Traetment plant.

Laying the foundation for integrated watershed collaboration  

The visit from the 13th to the 19th of May marked the official kick-off of teh Climate Resilient Urban – Rural WASH project in northern Laos, bringing together national, provincial, and local partners to align on project goals, planning, and responsibilities. In addition to the partner ministries, the kick-off included active participation from the provincial departments of Agriculture and Forestry, Natural Resources and Environment, and Planning and Investment to ensure all perspectives are taking into account and we create an integrated watershed approach. This approach is essential for future collaboration in other provinces and the growing concerns on climate change, urban development and the increasing demand for water.

Strengthening partnerships: Nam Papa and Nam Saat together 

A key highlight of the week was the collaboration between Nam Papa (urban supply) and Nam Saat (rural supply), two water operators with distinct but complementary strengths. Nam Saat brings deep experience in community engagement and hygiene promotion in rural areas, while Nam Papa operates from a more commercial and utility-focused perspective in urban areas. Working together represents a new and promising model. 

As part of the kick-off, the partners also conducted a site visit to the proposed intake and Water Treatment Plant (WTP) location and met with the Mayor of Vieng Phouka and village chiefs. This was also the first time a Lao consultancy firm joined the project. They will take the lead in developing the climate resilient technical design for the water intake, WTP and distribution system—key infrastructure that will ensure reliable access to safe drinking water. 

Proposed intake location.

Community dialogue and climate risk assessment

A consultation meeting with broad representatives from the three target villages took place the following day. The morning session centered on water safety planning. It was about understanding how water is currently accessed, the challenges of water shortages in the dry season and high turbidity in the raining season, and the health risks tied to untreated water. Community members also reflected on the difference between the water system of the Nam Papa versus the water system of the Nam Saat. Discussion was held about the impacts of unsafe water, such as water born diseases, the burden on primarily women to fetch and clean the water and the lack of privacy in current sanitation conditions.

One of the village representatives presenting the most climate disaster prone areas.

In the afternoon attention turned to climate risks. With community members, we explored how shifting weather patterns, prolonged dry spells and extreme rainfall are affecting local water sources. A participatory mapping session allowed villagers to identify climate hazards and vulnerable areas, laying the groundwork for a more climate-resilient water system. 

Long-Term Planning at the Provincial Level 

The week concluded with discussions involving representatives from the relevant provincial departments, deepening the dialogue on how long-term development plans such as future population growth, land use changes, and economic development could shape water demand and influence supply risks. These conversations underscored the importance of embedding climate risk and development trends directly into the Climate Resilient Water Safety Planning (WSP) process to ensure the system remains robust for decades to come. A concrete outcome of this session was the decision to include members of each provincial department, along with Nam Saat, in the WSP committee of Nam Papa Luang Namtha.