Vientiane: On May 5, 2026, in Vientiane, the Department of Water Supply under the Ministry of Public Works and Transport reported that Laos now operates 238 water supply plants nationwide with a combined production capacity of 883,000 cubic meters per day. The announcement was made by Viengnam Douangphachanh, Director General of the Nampapa Department, during the National Meeting of Public Works and Transport chaired by Minister of Public Works and Transport, Leklay Sivilay.
According to Lao News Agency, Dr. Viengnam stated that the water supply and sanitation sector continues to expand services in line with national development goals and the government's Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) policy aimed at achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 by 2030.
The report highlighted that access to water supply services has reached 80 percent of the population in provincial and district municipalities. Nationwide, sanitation coverage with hygienic latrines has increased to 85.7 percent. However, challenges remain in wastewater management, with urban wastewater treatment currently covering only 10.2 percent. Additionally, water losses within distribution systems, known as non-revenue water, remain high at approximately 28.56 percent.
To address these challenges, the government plans to strengthen institutions responsible for water and sanitation management. There is a focus on expanding infrastructure into rural growth areas and Special Economic Zones, improving the climate resilience of water systems, and modernizing sector data and information management.
The sector has also adopted long-term development frameworks, including Vision 2035 and the 2022-2030 development strategy. These frameworks set targets of providing safe water access to 90 percent of residents in municipalities and achieving universal access to hygienic sanitation facilities by 2030.