Water Treatment Extension Plant To Boost Supply In Vientiane
Source: Vientiane Times
The Dongbang water treatment extension plant to be built in Xaythany district, Vientiane, with non-refundable aid from Hungary, will increase the supply of clean water to households and businesses in the Lao capital.
A ground-breaking ceremony for the project, held on Wednesday, was attended by the Vice Mayor of Vientiane and Director General of the Vientiane Planning and Investment Department, Mr Phoukhong Bannavong, the Hungarian Ambassador to Laos, Mr Szilveszter Bus, Lao and Hungarian government officials, constructors and officials from the Vientiane Water Supply Enterprise (Nampapa Nakhone Luang).
The project is expected to be completed in 26 months with Maliny Construction Corporation, a Lao company, and a Hungarian firm acting as the general contractors.
They will use modern construction and design techniques, according to Nampapa Nakhone Luang’s Director General, Mr Khampheuy Vongsakhamphoui.
When the plant is operational, Vientiane’s clean water supply enterprise will achieve its objectives under a capacity expansion plan and local people will have more clean water, he said.
By 2025, Nampapa Nakhone Luang aims to supply clean water to 95-97 percent of people in the area and provide sufficient water to industrial parks in Vientiane, which will make them a more attractive investment prospect to foreign companies, said Mr Khampheuy.
He believed the project would be a milestone in future cooperation between Laos and Hungary in clean water production and wastewater treatment.
The total cost of the project is US$100 million and it has been divided into the preparation phase and the implementation phase, said the CEO of Laoprojeklt Zrt, Mr Ervin Kiss.
The project has three main components – water treatment plant extension, wastewater treatment plant construction, and the construction of a sewerage network in a design and build construct, he added.
The extension of the water treatment plant will be built at the existing site and the new facility will have a capacity of 24,000 cubic metres a day.
Including bank protection, the total construction cost is US$12.76 million and the work is to be completed in the second quarter of 2021, said Mr Kiss.
The second element of the project, the wastewater treatment plant, is currently in the planning phase.
Some households have no water supply, while specific and special economic zones also need more clean water, the Vientiane Vice Mayor, Mr Phoukhong, said.
The Hungarian Ambassador, Mr Bus, said he was confident the project will successfully fulfil its mission of providing clean water to local people and businesses, and serve as a flagship project for Hungary.