On April 9, a delegation from the Lao National Mekong Committee Secretariat and the Center of Water Supply and Environmental Health (CWSEH) of the Lao PDR, led by CWSEH Director Kongkham Miboun, visited IWHR to discuss engineering technologies and sustainable operation of water supply projects in rural areas.

China and Laos, as neighbors connected by the Lancang-Mekong River, have carried out practical cooperation and exchanges in drinking water safety within the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Framework. Under the Lancang-Mekong Spring Action, a project sponsored by the LMC Special Fund and undertaken by IWHR since 2020, several rural water supply projects have been constructed in Laos and other Mekong countries with the technical and in-kind support of IWHR and relevant technical training has been provided to local water professionals, improving rural water and sanitation and increasing residents’ access to safe drinking water.

IWHR Vice President Dr. Ding Liuqian conveyed the institute’s gratitude for the strong support by the Lao side for the Lancang-Mekong Spring Action. He expressed his hope that the two countries continually expand areas of project cooperation and boost high-quality water development under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Mr. Kongkham Miboun appreciated the positive impact of the Lancang-Mekong Spring Action project on improving the livelihood of rural areas and enhancing drinking water safety capacity building in Laos. The country still faces challenges in planning and construction of rural water supply projects, drinking water treatment, water quality monitoring, and operation management of water supply projects, he said, expressing the Lao side’s expectation to learn from China’s practical experiences and technologies in such areas, strengthen sci-tech cooperation and exchanges with IWHR, and jointly accelerate the realization of water-related SDGs in both countries.

The two sides exchanged views on the construction and management of small rural water supply projects in China, water quality monitoring and engineering construction for water supply safety in Laos, the sustainable operation of rural water supply projects in China, sustainable operation and maintenance mechanisms for rural water supply projects, water quality improvement and monitoring, etc.

The Lao delegation will conduct field studies of rural water supply demonstration projects in Beijing, Chongqing, and other locations during their visit to China.