Mr Ngampasong Muongmany (right) and Mr Sungsoo Oh display project agreements, watched by Mr Leklay Sivilay, Mr Jung Yung Soo, and other officials from Laos and the Republic of Korea.

S. Korea pledges US$6 million to upgrade water supply system in Bolikhamxay

The government of the Republic of Korea has pledged up to US$6 million in grant aid to upgrade the water supply system in Bolikhmaxay province.
On Friday, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) signed an agreement to implement the project, which will improve water services in Khamkeuth district.
The Lao government will provide complementary funding for specified project components, and certain details of the agreement may be amended by mutual consent of the participants.
The agreement was signed by Deputy Minister of Public Works and Transport, Mr Ngampasong Muongmany, and the Country Director KOICA, Mr Sungsoo Oh, and witnessed by Minister of Public Works and Transport Mr Leklay Sivilay, the Korean Ambassador to Laos Mr Jung Yung Soo, and other officials representing the two parties.
The implementing agencies for the project are, on behalf of the Republic of Korea, KOICA, and on behalf of Laos, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.
The project, which will run from 2025 to 2029, aims to ensure sustainable access to clean water and sanitation in Bolikhamxay province by improving safely managed water supply services and improving the capacity of Lao government officials in effective water resource management and the efficient operation of water supply systems.
Project staff will also encourage the use of safe and clean water by raising Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) awareness among residents in the project area through regular village meetings.
WASH-related information materials will be compiled and distributed, along with an evaluation of the safety of local water resources, and information on the quality of tap water and groundwater.
Other project components include the design and construction of new water supply facilities and improvements to existing systems; conducting an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment; and removal of unexploded ordnance to ensure safe and smooth project implementation.
The participants will establish and operate a Project Steering Committee, which will set the major directions regarding project implementation.
The committee will comprise representatives from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Bolikhamxay province’s Public Works and Transport Department, KOICA and Korean experts as assigned by KOICA, and other stakeholders.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update August 12, 2025)