An integrated approach for sustainable access to drinking water in Nong Onh village

As the first water supply projects of the DEAR Water 2 project have begun, Confluence invites you to follow the implementation of the water supply service in Nong Onh village, Xieng Ngeun district, Luang Prabang Province. From the diagnostic phase to the implementation of a governance system, five articles will present the key stages of the project to ensure sustainable access to water in this mountaintop village, located a three-hour drive south of Luang Prabang.

To foster community ownership of infrastructure and promote balanced, rational, and sustainable resource management, the DEAR Water 2 project relies on an integrated approach (resource, infrastructure, governance) and the continued involvement of villagers throughout the project.

Contents:

  1. Context: Water needs in rural areas and constraints to sustainable access
  2. Diagnostic phase and feasibility study
  3. The contract with villagers prior to construction
  4. Construction phase
  5. Establishment of the water service and training of the water committee

1 - Context : water needs in rural areas and constraints to sustainable access

Crossed by the Mekong River and its tributaries, with numerous springs, Laos has sufficient resources to provide its inhabitants with sustainable access to water. However, the access rate to drinking water remains low in the country’s rural areas. In Luang Prabang province, 54% of inhabitants have access to developed drinking water solutions (LSIS, 2023).

Due to the low population density and the difficulty of accessing villages, the Lao government favors local infrastructure in rural areas, managed directly by the villages, with the support of provincial and district health authorities. In the mountainous areas of the North, gravity-fed water supply networks represent a preferred solution for villages, due to the low level of investment required and their ease of maintenance.

Despite the ongoing efforts of the Lao authorities, the needs remain significant. Indeed, the establishment of sustainable water networks faces several constraints:

  • Investment and construction: The isolation and access conditions of rural villages limit the authorities’ capacity to intervene in the implementation of water supply systems and significantly complicate construction projects;
  • Pressure on supply sources: While water networks draw on local resources, global warming, certain agricultural practices, and the development of energy or mining infrastructure can lead to a scarcity of available resources for their supply. This situation naturally worsens during the dry season;
  • Governance: Assigned to the villages, infrastructure maintenance suffers from the limited technical and financial capacities of villagers. Furthermore, the lack of consultation between users regarding network management can lead to shortages and premature deterioration of facilities.

Rural communities then depend on water infrastructure in poor condition, unable to ensure sufficient water supply in terms of quantity and quality.

In this context, Confluence and its partners are working on each of the issues mentioned above. Priority villages are first identified by district health offices. Based on their suggestions, the project team conducts a series of diagnostics and engages in discussions with residents to ensure the feasibility of building a gravity-fed water network and the communities’ ownership of the project.

2 - Diagnostic phase and feasibility study

The installation of a gravity-fed network involves a diagnostic and feasibility phase. This phase assesses the following elements:

  • Village’s water needs: current water access status, population size, and public infrastructure (health center, school);
  • Presence of sufficient water sources in terms of quality and quantity, the use of these sources, and the presence of nearby agricultural activities;
  • Communities’ interest and motivation to participate in the construction and long-term management of the network.

Within two to three missions, the project teams conduct community consultations, visits, and analysis of water sources, as well as topographical studies to ensure feasibility and design the future water network.

The village of Nong Onh experiences chronic water scarcity. 98 households (430 villagers) rely on an outdated and undersized water network built in 2009. While the network’s water source is scarce, the standpipe distribution network is out of service. Every day, women and children collect water from the water reservoir, the only access point in the village. During the low-water period, from February to June, villagers rely on tanker trucks to supply their water.

Selected by the villagers, a spring resurgence located 2 km from the houses will guarantee a sufficient water supply for the future network. Although already in use, the catchment area is not adequately protected and will require improvements.

Throughout the feasibility phase, communities decide on the main characteristics of their future network: supply source, distribution method (private connections in Nong Onh), infrastructure layout, and construction schedule. This partnership approach encourages community ownership and is formalized through the signing of a contract.

3 - The contract with villagers

The intervention in a village takes the form of a partnership with local communities. In a spirit of ownership, various contributions are expected from the villagers:

  • Protection of the water supply source: a new feature of DEAR Water 2, the village commits to managing and protecting the catchment area, in consultation with the various users within the area;
  • Taking part in the work: every day, between 10 and 20 villagers are mobilized to build the network, under the supervision of the Confluence site manager. The construction schedule must therefore adapt to the agricultural calendar, which mobilizes many villagers;
  • Supply of locally available materials: wood, sand, gravel;
  • Connection fees: in the case of private connection networks, each household contributes 250,000 Kip (€12) to finance its connection to the network;
  • The establishment of a water management committee, responsible for network maintenance and water service management.

The active participation of villagers during construction is a guarantee of sustainability: it ensures their motivation, strengthens their understanding of the network and its operation, and empowers them with responsibility for the maintenance and management of the infrastructure.

All expected contributions are presented and discussed with the villagers prior to construction, resulting in the signing of a contract between the village, Confluence, and the district health authorities.

With these prerequisites met, the construction phase is scheduled to begin a few months later, in November, marking the end of the rainy season.

4 - Construction phase

Confluence’s gravity-fed water network construction campaigns last an average of five weeks. A site manager remains in the village at all times, accompanied by a district technician, and the team’s technicians visit the site weekly. Materials (pipes, meters, etc.) are received a few days before work begins, after complicated transport on poor road conditions.

A typical day begins with communities gathering in the village square around 7:00 a.m., after the village chief’s announcement over the microphone. Around fifteen villagers, both men and women, mobilize daily for the various stages of construction:

  • Concrete structures: catchment, head tank, possible pressure break tank, water reservoir;
  • Installation of water supply and distribution networks;
  • Connection of households with meters.

For over a month, the community’s engagement is much needed. Transporting construction materials to the catchment is one of the most demanding tasks. Villagers’ involvement may therefore decrease towards the end of the campaign, and is one of the challenges of the construction phase.

In the village of Nong Onh, the campaign took place from November 19 to December 25, 2024, and benefited from a very strong community mobilization. The new reservoir, with a capacity of 32 m³, double the previous one, will ensure a permanent water supply to the village. In total, nearly 1,500 meters of pipe were required for the distribution network.

At the end of the work and after the inspections, villagers invited the project team to a traditional Lao ceremony, the baci, to inaugurate the network.

A few weeks later, the water service will be set up, and the committee responsible for its governance and maintenance will be formed.

5 – Establishment of the water service

Once built, the water networks belong to the villages, which manage them. To ensure sustainable access to water, it is essential to train villagers in the management of this infrastructure, from the catchment to the tap.

DEAR Water project teams are therefore working with the villagers to implement a governance system.

Throughout a whole morning, the villagers are invited to define the rules for managing the water service (water price, billing frequency, etc.) and to elect the members of the water management committee, responsible for the maintenance and governance of the service. To foster the participation of women, who are sometimes overlooked during group discussions, a specific information session for women is organized before the definition of the service rules.

These water management committees are composed of five members: a manager, two technicians, a treasurer, and an accountant. Their work is funded by household water fees.

The training provided to them is scalable, adapting to new challenges and the specific conditions of the villages. For example, the use of private connection networks, as in Nong Onh, requires monthly meter readings and increases the committee’s workload.

It is during this stage that the management of the catchment is also discussed with the villagers. Based on an identification of risks relating to the quality and quantity of the water supply, the villagers are asked to define management rules for the area and a development plan.

The implementation phase does not mark the end of Confluence’s intervention. The committees are monitored periodically to support them in network management. In addition, once a year, water committees from different villages come together for collective exchange and learning.

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