Mr Soulith Chindamany (left), Mr Xaynha Xaymoungkhoung (centre), and Mr Shinichi Moriyama display a signed Memorandum of Understanding on the water supply project.

New Laos-Japan partnership targets water loss reduction in Vientiane

The Lao Water Works Association, Vientiane Water Supply State Enterprise (Nam Papa Nakhonluang) and Japan’s Fuji Tecom Co., Ltd. are taking action to reduce leaks in the water supply system in Vientiane.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the venture was signed in Vientiane last week by the Association’s Acting President, Mr Soulith Chindamany, Nam Papa Nakhonluang’s Managing Director, Mr Xaynha Xaymoungkhoung, and the President of Fuji Tecom Co., Ltd., Mr Shinichi Moriyama.
The signing ceremony was attended by representatives from the JICA Laos Office, the MAWASU project in association with Nam Papa Nakhonluang, and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

Mr Soulith Chindamany (left), Mr Xaynha Xaymoungkhoung (centre), and Mr Shinichi Moriyama sign a partnership agreement on water leakage reduction.

Under the agreement, the three parties will work together over the next five years to reduce the amount of water lost in the supply system, mainly through training sessions for water supply personnel.
In Vientiane, the current water supply capacity is 348,000 cubic metres per day, produced by six plants, with 208,000 water meters in use across the city’s nine districts. Over the first eight months of 2025, the average water loss was 24 percent, Mr Xaynha said.
Recognising the seriousness of the issue, the Board of Directors of the Vientiane Water Supply State Enterprise is teaming up with the Department of Water Supply under the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, through the Japan-funded MAWASU project, to rectify the situation.
The Japanese project has provided assistance in the water supply sector over three phases since 2012.
Under this project, the Vientiane Water Supply State Enterprise and water supply enterprises across the country have received assistance with personnel training in various fields of operation, Mr Xaynha said.
Japan has provided equipment for water leak surveys, including flow rate meters, water leak detectors, pipe locators, water pressure meters, and water meter comparators.
This equipment was provided by Fuji Tecom, a world-renowned company that specialises in the manufacture of leak detection devices.
Mr Xaynha said that in the past the amount of water lost was as high as 33 percent but, with support through Japan’s MAWASU project, the loss had been reduced to 24 percent.
In the past, Fuji Tecom has provided training for Water Supply State Enterprise employees in Luang Prabang city and Khammuan province.
Continuing cooperation with the company, delegations from the Vientiane Water Supply State Enterprise, the Lao Water Works Association, and Fuji Tecom met to discuss ways to jointly prevent water losses, which led to the signing of the MOU.
Fuji Tecom has been developing water leakage detection technologies and products for more than 65 years and is a trusted manufacturer, holding over 90 percent of market share in non-revenue water management in Japan.
The company also partners with 55 distributors across 60 countries and provides its proprietary technologies worldwide.

By Advertorial Desk
(Latest Update September 29, 2025)