Many residents of Luang Prabang are facing water shortages and can only obtain water at night due to the low level of the river that feeds the town.
Deputy Director of Luang Prabang Water Supply, Mr Chanthone Sanaphay, said this week there have been water shortages for more than a month due to the low level of the Khan River, the source of the city's water.
“Water levels are very low and we've resorted to building dikes to ensure reservoirs are deep enough for water pumps to suck up water. We've also moved floating pumps to areas of deeper water to ensure adequate water intake,” he said.
According to Mr Chanthone, the current production capacity of the town's two water treatment plants is 14,500 cubic metres per day.
Water is supplied to the town centre all day long to ensure tourists don't go short, while residents in the suburbs face irregular supplies.
Mr Chanthone said water is currently only supplied to suburban areas from 9pm to 5am, so residents must collect and store water for daytime use.
“Water shortages have occurred for the past few years, but not as extreme as this year,” he said.
Digging bore wells to obtain more water is not an effective solution so authorities plan to buy water tankers from other areas to supply water to all households in the town.
Mr Chanthone said the level of rivers in the region has been dropping every year in recent times, particularly the Khan River. He believes major contributors to the problem are the large number of rubber plantations and slash and burn cultivation practices upstream of the town.
“Even though we have a policy to eliminate slash and burn cultivation, it still continues, especially in the northern provinces, and rubber plantations and logging of forests also affects water resources,” he said.
“We are fortunate that the Khan River is still relatively clean, but it will take hundreds of years to restore the environment and water resources.”
Luang Prabang is a major tourism destination with numerous tourism-related businesses such as hotels, guesthouses, and restaurants requiring reliable water supply.
“In line with the growing population of the town and its increasing popularity as a tourist destination, the authorities are considering building a large new water treatment and supply plant along the Mekong River in the north of the town. Many international investors have expressed interest in the project,” Mr Chanthone said.
