Vientiane water provider opens tap to meet industry needs
Vientiane water provider opens tap to meet industry needs
The Vientiane Water Supply Enterprise is confident that it can supply 90 percent of the water needed by the capital's residents by 2015, despite the rapid growth of industry.
Deputy Director of the enterprise, Mr Khamseng Pakitkhounnouvong, told Vientiane Times yesterday he was aware that several special and specific economic zones (SEZ) will be established in Vientiane which will only increase the demand for water.
“We are about to expand the capacity of our plant in Donggmakkhai village, Xaythany district, from about 20,000 cubic metres per day to more than 120,000 cubic metres,” he said.
The enterprise also plans to build another plant in Saendin village, Naxaithong district, and another in Hadxaifong district. Each plant will have a capacity of 20,000 cubic metres per day.
“We are now carrying out a feasibility study on the two plants but we have already prepared land to accommodate these facilities,” Mr Khamseng said.
The enterprise can currently supply about 180,000 cubic metres of water per day, but this is far below the demand of almost 300,000 cubic metres.
Mr Khamseng admitted that Vientiane was growing faster than he h ad anticipated due to urbanisation and planned special and specific economic zones.
These include the US$1.6-billion That Luang marsh specific economic zone, three industrial parks at the Km 21 area, and the Vientiane Long Thanh Golf specific economic zone in the Dongphosy area of Hadxaifong district.
In addition, the authorities plan to expand the city outwards along the 450 Year Road and build a h ighway linking Nongbouathong and Nongbeuk villages where government offices will be relocated.
All of these developments will create an even greater demand for water, which will pose challenges for the Vientiane Water Supply Enterprise.
Mr Khamseng said their solution was to build community water supplies with the capacity to produce 500 cubic metres per day. Two of these plants are being built in Na-tham and Naxone villages in Pakngum district and another in Huay Kham village in Sangthong district.
He believed the demand from industry would increase slowly so the enterprise would have time to bolster its resources.
“The Vientiane authorities want us to be able to supply 90 percent of the projected water demand by 2015. I think we can do that but we need to find more funding to expand our capacity so that we can meet the needs of business and local residents,” Mr Khamseng said.
Vientiane has undergone a growth spurt over the past five years. GDP growth has reached 12.1 percent and average annual per capita income now stands at US$1,755.
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