December 5, 2024
Approval of the reservoir, which is located near Nhaynachaleun village, is the culmination of a three-year (2016-2019) project with a handover and official opening to be held next month. The Lao-Korean team carried out the technical assessment from September 30 to October 9. The reservoir will be used to irrigate crops, allowing locals to generate income through commercial agriculture. The approximately US$4 million project, which was funded by grant aid from the Republic of Korea, comprised the building of the reservoir by a local construction company under the supervision of Korea Rural Community Corporation, DASAN Consultants and the Vientiane Agriculture and Forestry Department. The project also includes a training course to teach farmers how to make the best use of the water for efficient production. The reservoir is about 75 km from central Vientiane and covers an area of about 450 hectares with a storage capacity of over 2,790,000 m3. The project includes 5,200 metres of irrigation channels that can deliver water to 250 hectares of farmland and allow the local community to grow crops all year round.
Some 120 families in Taohay, Namieng and Nalath villages will benefit from the project. These Sangthong district communities are currently part of the ‘Three Builds’ initiative. From 2012 to 2017, the government of the Republic of Korea also provided more than US$4 million for the construction of an irrigation reservoir in Khuon district, Xieng Khuang province, which has succeeded in boosting socio-economic development in this remote area.
Information source: Vientiane Times.
