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Nam Ou River Basin Power Company hands over drinking water purification project to Hatkeep villagers 

Nam Ou River Basin Power Co., Ltd. has handed over a drinking water demonstration project to Hatkeep village in Ngoi district, Luang Prabang province, to help local villagers access clean and safe drinking water.
The handover ceremony of the project took place on May 27 in the village, downstream of the Nam Ou 2 Hydropower Station.
Speaking at the ceremony, the General Manager of the Company, Mr Song Huihong, said the project was the first Lancang-Mekong cooperation special fund project landed in the Nam Ou River Basin in Laos.

Mr Song Huihong (fourth left) hands over the key of the project to relevant authorities.

The main work of the project is to build new water sources and water purification facilities and install water purification equipment in Hatkeep village.
He expressed the hope that the project could improve the water supply in Hatkeep village, solve problems such as inadequate water supply, unsanitary drinking water, and expensive water charges for Hatkeep villagers, and provide direct drinking water for schools in surrounding villages to ensure drinking water safety for students.
On this occasion, Mr Song Huihong expressed his gratitude to local authorities of Luang Prabang province and Ngoi district as well as the Consulate General of China in Luang Prabang, Mr Li Zhigong, and all sectors of society and the local people for their concern and support for the Nam Ou River Project and the drinking water project.
Addressing the handover event, Mr Li Zhigong affirmed that the Company had overcome the impact of the epidemic and successfully completed construction of the project.
He said the Consulate General would also help promote the building of a China-Laos community with a shared future to a new level over the next 60 years, so that the people of the two countries would always be good neighbours and good friends.
At the same time, Mr Zhigong expressed the hope that the Lao government would continue to strengthen its key support and assistance to the Nam Ou River Project, so that the rich hydropower resources of the Nam Ou River could be transformed into rich social and economic benefits, and contribute to the rapid economic development of northern Laos and the friendly cooperation between China and Laos.
For his part, Deputy Party Secretary of Luang Prabang, Mr Soukan, thanked the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Centre for choosing Hatkeep village as a pilot project, which was an act of “benefiting people’s livelihoods and warming people’s hearts”.
The sanitary and safe drinking water in the demonstration area of Hatkeep village once again proved the friendship between the people of China and Laos.
Mr Soukan said the Company cared about and attached great importance to the drinking water problems in Hatkeep village.
The Company provided 11 sets of water purification equipment, demonstrated the use of advanced water supply technology, and guaranteed drinking water safety for about 900 villagers and 1,000 teachers and students, and effectively enhanced local people’s livelihoods and well-being. China’s pragmatic assistance made local people feel warmth and hope.

The project is a Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund Project funded by the Chinese government and called “Lancang-Mekong Gan Quan Action Plan -- Lancang-Mekong National Rural Water Supply Security Technology Demonstration Project” which uses “safe water supply in rural areas” as the entry point proposed by the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Centre in June 2020.
It aims to improve the guarantee capabilities of the local rural water supply project and to provide typical experience and technical support for rural water supply safety in the Lancang-Mekong region through technology demonstration and promotion in typical areas.
The Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Centre entrusts the Company, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research and Bei Fang Investigation, Design & Research Co., Ltd. to jointly implement the project.
The project comprises the following main components: the first is to build a new water source and water supply pipeline in Hatkeep village; the second is to renovate the water intake point and pipeline of the old water source in Hatkeep village; the third is to install a large-scale centralised water purification plant in Hatkeep village, and the fourth is to install 10 sets of small water purification equipment in public places such as schools in Hatkeep village and surrounding villages.
The project is a major measure to implement the China-Laos community with a shared future and is a typical example of POWERCHINA’s in-depth performance of corporate social responsibility in Laos.
In the future, POWERCHINA - which established the Nam Ou River Basin Power Co., Ltd. to develop Nam Ou River cascade hydropower projects - will continue to play the leading role of Chinese-funded enterprises, keep its original aspirations, continue to move forward and deepen the friendly cooperation between China and Laos, make positive contributions to the economic and social development of Laos, and promote the construction of a more intimate Lancang-Mekong family.
The Lancang-Mekong cooperation is a cooperation mechanism proposed by Premier Keqiang Li at the 17th China-Asean Leaders’ Meeting in November 2014. Participating members include China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
In March 2016, China proposed the establishment of the Lancang-Mekong cooperation special fund at the first leaders’ meeting of Lancang-Mekong cooperation, providing US$300 million within 5 years to support small and medium-sized cooperation projects proposed by the six countries along the Lancang River and the Mekong River in Southeast Asia.
The Nam Ou cascade hydropower station project is the first basin-wide development project obtained by POWERCHINA in Laos, replacing the scheme of high dam and large reservoir with the scheme of “one reservoir and seven dams” cascade hydropower station, recognised by the Lao government to have green development concepts such as the smallest ecological and environmental impact, the smallest inundation area, and minimal relocation.
The project consists of 7 cascade hydropower stations, with an installed capacity of 1272MW in the whole basin, and an average annual power generation of about 5 billion kWh.
All the power stations will be put into operation in 2021 and are the main hydropower energy base in northern Laos. The construction of the Nam Ou cascade hydropower station project has greatly improved local transportation and living conditions, and has promoted the social and economic development of Laos.
Relevant officials from both sides also attended the handover of the drinking water demonstration project.


 

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(Latest Update
June 7,
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