The preservation of water resources is a major issue of the 21st century and yet the context is particularly worrying: according to the World Commission on Water Economics, we have crossed “planetary limits” for the first time in the history of mankind and contributed substantially to the disruption of hydrological cycles.
It has been established that the United Nations is organizing between March 22 and 24, 2023 the first international conference on water since… 1977!
Faced with the many challenges posed by improving the conditions of access to water and sanitation, the CCL has been committed for many years to rural Laotian communities.
Recently, within the framework of the multi-sector project SCALING (Sustainable Change Achieved through Linking Improved Nutrition and Governance), the CCL intervened in the province of Phongsaly, between 2018 and 2022, for the implementation of a WASH program (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) ambitious. Water supply networks have thus been rehabilitated or built ex nihilo, implicit in a participatory and gender-based approach. Innovative solutions have been implemented, such as solar pumping or individual meter systems, and local water management committees have been strengthened in their prerogatives. In total, more than 1,000 households benefited from year-round access to drinking water.
Today, the CCL renews its commitment in partnership with the Rhin-Meuse Water Agency and the city of Paris. The Nam Sa project, a small tributary located on the left bank of the Mekong River, aims to improve the conditions of access to water and sanitation in 5 target municipalities of the basin, as well as to strengthen local structures of Water Management.
Set up since 2022 in the province of Bolikhamxay, it is intended to be an operational extension of the actions undertaken for 6 years now by the International Office for Water and the DWR (Department of Water Resources, Ministries of Natural Resources and ‘Environment) in Laos, in order to achieve integrated management of water resources. In total, more than 3,500 villagers and 160 students will gain long-term access to an improved drinking water source.
