Mekong River Intergrated, Water Supply projects on tract to be completed on sechedule

The construction of the Mekong River Integrated Project in Champassak province and Southern Provincial Water Supply Development Project in Champassak and Saravan provinces is proceeding as planned.

Representatives from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) and the Korea Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) met in Champassak last week to review the progress in implementing both projects.
The meeting was chaired by the EDCF Representative to Laos, Mr Lee Dong-Geon, and the Assistant to the Minister of Public Works and Transport, Dr Soukkhaseum Pakdimanivong. It was attended by the relevant senior officials from the line departments of MPWT and Champassak province.
The meeting was organised to follow up on the progress in the overall implementation of the projects and to discuss further areas of support.
With continuous cooperation and support from the EDCF and the MPWT as well as relevant agencies, the two projects have achieved significant milestones on schedule.
The Mekong River Integrated Project in Champassak began in 2016 and 82.7 percent of it has been completed on schedule. The original phase of the project is to be completed in 2022.
In addition, on November 19, 2021, the Minute of Discussions (MOD) on co-working was signed by the EDCF and the MPWT in order to work on additional financing for the project, in the form of a supplementary loan, to fully protect people and their properties from repeated floods and erosion and to promote tourism in the project area by creating friendly places such as a riverside park and a leisure space.
In the case of the Southern Provincial Water Supply Development Project in Champassak and Saravan provinces, a concessional loan agreement was signed and became effective at the end of 2020. This project is scheduled to be completed and made operational in 2025. The project is expected to significantly increase safe water supply, thereby creating conditions for enhancing the small to large scale economies, including the tourism sector, which is steadily developing in southern Laos.
During the meeting, the MPWT expressed sincere gratitude on behalf of the Lao Government and local communities to the Export-Import Bank of Korea and the EDCF for their continuous cooperation, support and attention for Lao EDCF projects, especially the priority projects of the transport sector that are being implemented under the cooperation framework between the Lao PDR and the Republic of Korea.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update January 20, 2022)