The 16th WEPA annual meeting March, 2021

Updates of Water Environment
Governance in Lao PDR
Mr. Sengkeo TASAKETH
Deputy Director of Pollution Control Division
Department of Pollution Control and Monitoring, MONRE

Contents1). Overview2). Situation on urban wastewater,
3). Structure of Organization4). Legislation Wastewater Management5).Further cooperation with WEPA activities

I. Overview

Lao PDR is located inSouth-East Asia with total
land area of 236,800 km2,
Population 7.123 mill.
(2019);
 90% of the country
territory is located in theMekong Basin;
 Lower middle income.
 GDP growth (annual %) 6%;
 Capital city: Vientiane3II. Situation on urban wastewater Urban areas in Lao PDR a rapidly increasing of population contributes to a fast
increasing water demand it’s concerned incidence of wastewater discharge fromhuman activities, households, restaurant, small industrial sectors discharge
wastewater into public drainages or the urban environment; Current wastewater handling in most urbanand rural areas in Lao PDR is an onsite disposal decentralize system (latrines and septic tanks),
 Untreated wastewater from areas are disposed to the nearby drainage system, asresult quite dark color water/water quality change, especially in the dry season
can be observed in most of the open channels in the urban area.

Domestic wastewater management DEWATS
No Year
1 20092 20103 20104 20115 20116 20117 20128 20139 201410 2014
11 2014
12 2014
13 2015
14 2015
15 2015
16 2015
17 2015
18 2015
19 201620 2016
21 2017

lacation
Vientiane Capital
Vientiane Capital
Vientiane Capital
Louanphabang Province
Khammoan Provive
Khammoan provive
Vientiane Capital
Vientiane Province
Attapeu province
Attapeu provinceVientiane procinceChampasak ProvinceChampasak Province
Vientiane Capital
Vientiane Capital
Houaphan province
Louanphabang Province
Vientiane Capital
Xekong Province
Bokeo Province
Louanphabang province

Total

Treatment capacity (m³/day)
1011.2
71570
30
26
3
14
14
160
15
8
6.4
1,5
14
10
10.2
35
1
5

464.8 m3/d

User
125
146
116
208
700
300
455
66
163
235
1600
300
150
8050
161
50050 bed
220
-Road show for DEWATS –VIRACHITH DOUANGCHANH

Fecal sludge treatment facility

Site areaTreatment pond capacity

2ha8 ponds of 20m × 40m × 3m

III. Structure Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment(MONRE), Lao PDR

MinisterVice Minister

Vice Minister

Vice Minister

Dept of Environment

Dept of Organizationand Personnel

CabinetDept of Pollution Controland Monitoring (DPCM)
Natural Resources andEnvironment Researchand Statistics Institute
Dept of Water Resources
Dept of Climate Change

Dept of Inspection
Dep of Legislation

Dept of Planning
And Financial
Dept of Land
Management

Dept of Hydrology And
Meteorology
Lao National MekongCommittee Secretariat

Environment Protection
Fund (EPF)Dept of Pollution Control and Monitoring (DPCM)
Director General of DPCM
DDG of DPCM

Admin Div

DDG of DPCMDDG of DPCM

DDG of DPCM

DDG of DPCM

Chemical and Wastemanagement Div

Policy Div
Pollution Control Div

Environmental Monitoring ofDevelopment project Div

1) Dept of Pollution Control and Monitoring (DPCM) is macro management
for pollution control, chemicals management and solid waste disposal andenvironmental monitoring of development project;
2) There are three levels of government management which includes central(DPCM, MONRE), provincial (DONRE) and district levels (Office).

VI. Legislation Wastewater Management

1. National Environmental Standard (2017);
2. Water and Water Resources Law (2017);
3. Environment Protection Law (2012);
4. Industry Processing Law (2013); and5. Environment Impact Assessment Decree (2018)

National environment standards 2017
(Standards for Water Pollution Control from General Industries)
Parameters

Symbols

potential of Hydrogen

pHTotal Dissolved Solid

TDS

Total Suspended Solid
Temperature
Color and Odor
Hydrogen Sulfide
CyanideFat, Oil and Grease
Formaldehyde
PhenolChlorine
Pesticide
Biological Oxygen
Demand 5 Days
Total Nitrogen
Chemical Oxygen
DemandTSSt
H2S
CNFOG
CH2O
C6H5OH
Cl-Zinc
Chromium Hexavalent
Chromium Trivalent
CopperCadmiumBarium
Lead
NickelManganeseArsenic
SeleniumZn
Cr+6Cr+3CuCdBaPbNiMn
AsSe

BOD5TKN
COD

Standards values
that allows
6-8.5≤2,500

Unit-Analysis methodology

≤50
≤40
None
≤1.0
≤0.2
≤5.0
≤1.0
≤1.0
≤1.0
None
≤30

mg/L
°C
mg/L
mg/L
mg/L
mg/L
mg/L
mg/L
mg/L

pH MeterDry evaporation at temperature103-105 °C, 1 hour
Glass Fiber Filter Disc
Temperature Meter
GeneralTitration
Distillation and Pyridine Barbituric Acid
Solvent Extraction by Weight
Spectrophotometry
Distillation and Aminoantipyrine Method 4
Lodometric Method
GC

mg/L

Azide Modification at 20 °C, 5 days

≤ 100
≤120

mg/L

Kjeldahl
Potassium Dichromate Digestion ; Open Reflux
or Closed Reflux

mg/L

mg/L

Heavy metals
≤5.0
mg/L
≤0.25
mg/L
≤0.75
mg/L
≤2.0
mg/L
≤0.03
mg/L
≤1.0
mg/L
≤0.2
mg/L
≤1.0
mg/L
≤5.0
mg/L
≤0.25
mg/L
≤0.02
mg/L

AA/AES; ICP

AA/AES; ICPAA-Hydride Generation or ICP

National environment standards 2017

Table 14.4: Standards for controlling water pollution from toilets
Parameters

Symbol Standard

potential of Hydrogen

pH6-9

Biological Oxygen Demand5 Days

BOD530UnitMethod of Examinationບໍ່ໄດ້ ກໍານົດ pH Meter
mg/L

Azide Modification at 20oC , 5 days

Chemical Oxygen DemandCOD

125mg/L

Potassium Dichromate
Digestion ; Open Reflux
or Closed Reflux

Total Suspended SolidTSS

50mg/L

Glass Fiber Filter Disc

Total Nitrogen

TKN

10mg/L

Kjeldahl

Phenol

C6H5O
H

2mg/L

Fat, Oil and Grease

FOG

5.0mg/L

TDS

400

MPN/mlTotal Dissolved Solid

Distillation andAminoantipyrine Method
4Solvent Extraction byWeight
Dry Evaporation 103-105°C, 1 hourChallenges of water environment governanceLack of monitoring and maintenance ofwastewater treatment facilities and lack ofcapability enforcement of regulation andfinancial support;
The water quality of the rivers may furtherdeteriorate in the near future due to inflows ofincreasing volumes of untreated wastewater fromurban growth, agriculture activities and indusial
sectors.

V. Further cooperation with WEPA activities
1). Human resources development and technicalsupportwastewater treatment technologies forwater environment improvement;2). Pilot project/program on Urban/ household
wastewater treatment facility and technologies
transfer;3). Exchange study and share best practices forcommunity wastewater treatment technology inASEAN counties and Japan.

Thank you for yourattention