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Water provider augments supply from Nam Ngum river

The Vientiane Water Supply State Enterprise has placed pumps in the Nam Ngum river to feed the Dongmakkhai water treatment plant in Xaythany district, hoping this will provide the plant with enough water to supply local residents as the dry season kicks in.

In a telephone interview with Vientiane Times yesterday, the General Manager of the Vientiane Water Supply State Enterprise, Mr Khampheuy Vongsakhamphoui, said that after the river level dropped they had decided to install pumps to get water from the river to the treatment plant.
The pumps are functioning well and household water supply is stable, he said.  
The state water supplier said the pumps were installed to draw up water from the unusually low river, as the water level is well below normal for this time of the year following low rainfall in the wet season.
The enterprise had said previously that water supply in some parts of Vientiane would be insufficient because its pumps had been floating above the surface of the river since October 20.
Residents living in some areas of Xaythany, Xaysettha and Chanthabouly districts are being advised to store sufficient water for household use.
Water levels in the Nam Ngum as well as the Mekong and some of its tributaries in Laos are at a record low, which had been affecting households, business and agriculture.
Consumers should be prepared to cope with water shortages if further supply problems arise, the enterprise warned.
The Vientiane State Water Supply Enterprise has seven treatment plants, but Vientiane residents consume over 200,000 cubic metres of water a day, which is in excess of the amount supplied.
The water supplier has opened up hotline number 1169 so that consumers can more easily contact officials if supply becomes inadequate.


By Phomphong Laoin
(Latest Update October 30, 2019)


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