page_title: Water supply and sanitation in Laos
section_title: Mekong River
hierarchical_section_title: Water supply and sanitation in Laos / Water resources / Mekong River
caption_attribution_description: English: River bank at sunset from the island of Don Puay, Si Phan Don, Laos. Landscape with submerged shrubs reflecting in the Mekong, water buffaloes bathing, a young girl playing in the sand, and a fisherman on his pirogue at the distance Français&#160;: Berge au coucher du soleil depuis l'île de Don Puay, Si Phan Don, Laos. Paysage avec des arbustes immergés se reflétant dans le Mékong, des buffles d'Asie se baignant, une fillette jouant dans le sable, et un pêcheur sur sa pirogue au loin Deutsch: Flussufer bei Sonnenuntergang von der Insel Don Puay aus gesehen, Si Phan Don, Laos. Landschaft mit versunkenen Sträuchern, die sich im Mekong widerspiegeln, mit Wasserbüffeln beim Baden und einem jungen Mädchen, das im Sand spielt. In der Ferne erkennt man einen Fischer auf seiner Piroge.
context_page_description: Laos is a nation with plentiful surface water and broad rivers, but outside of cities there is little infrastructure to make that water clean and accessible. Very little improvement has been made since the end of the Laotian Civil War in 1975, especially compared to peer nations such as Thailand. By 2015, 76% of Laotians nationwide were estimated to have access to “improved” water, while 71% were estimated to have access to “improved” sanitation.
  National-average numbers for sanitation obscure some important internal variation between city and rural. Most Laotians get their water from surface flows close to their dwellings, so infrastructure is minimal. Outside of the cities, women and small children are often tasked with carrying drinking water by hand from rural collection sites, which impacts educational attainment, economic growth, and rural quality of life.
  In the capital, Vientiane, aging sewage systems work poorly and are overdue for infrastructural improvement. Moreover, there is an ongoing gap between rural and town dwellers, with 60% fewer rural people having access to sanitation, and 38% fewer having access to drinking water.
context_section_description: The Mekong River plays an important role in the economy of Laos. The Mekong River basin covers nearly 90 per cent of Laos country and drains toward Vietnam. The capacity of Mekong River's basin to sustain food security and water availability in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) is largely hindered by competing economic, ecological, and political interests. In Laos, the government encourages hydro-power investment, which increases pressure on water and sea animal threats. The development of electricity in Laos and export to neighbouring countries are essential for government revenues to reduce poverty. Although hydro-power does not pollute water or air directly, hydro-power reservoir and dam can impact the change in environment, land use, and natural habitats. There are potential environmental consequences of damming water, creating gigantic reservoirs, flooding the entire area, blocking the natural course of the river and constructing power lines.  For example, the structure of dam and reservoir interfere fishing migration and alter water temperature and river's flow; as a result. It may injure the life of sea animals and animals on land.
  
  People use Mekong River stream directly for drinking, cooking, bathing and washing. However, as the population increases, watercourses that are used simultaneously for water disposal and water supply cause health issues like diarrhea and typhoid.  Meanwhile, locals stated that before the upstream dams were built, they could safely drink the Mekong River water. However, after the Xayaburi Dam in Laos was built, the water quality became contaminated. The water quality in Laos become even worse when a new dam was built in Don Sahong, less than 2 kilometers from the town, causing the population get diarrhoea and inhale with bad air quality. Besides, fisheries contribute about 13 percent of Laos national GDP per year. Most population live near the Mekong river found dead fish floating in polluted water in the area between the Don Sahong Dam and Preah Rumkel (Cambodia) which made their only source of water for drinking, cooking, fishing and everyday chores as disaster.
caption: Mekong River and the lives of people
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