Breadcrumb
Lao PDR
Capital:
Vientiane
Land Area:
230,800km²
Inland Water Area:
6,000km²
Lao PDR is strongly linked with its river systems. More than 80% of Lao PDR is within the Mekong River basin, providing the country with the highest per capita water allocation in the region. Spanning the Sekong, Saravane and Champasack provinces, the Sedone Rivers basin is one of the major river basins of the country, and has a total land area of 7,229km2.
A significant achievement of Lao PDR is the integrated management of the Sedone River Basin, one of the 10 priority river basins for IRBM implementation in the country. The Sedone River runs for 1,574km in Southern Lao and has five main tributaries and 18 sub-basins. A lifeblood of about 690,000 people, Sedone River supports various socioeconomic activities including coffee plantations, hydropower generation, tourism and agriculture. Since 2008, Lao PDR and PEMSEA have been working together to develop the Sedone River Basin Profile and adopt the Sedone River Basin Sustainable Development Strategy. The partnership continues with the implementation of the SDS-SEA Scaling Up Project in Lao PDR focusing on: development of the National River Basin Strategy to 2030; development of the National Guideline for Water Resources Use Fee; development of the national IRBM demonstration site in Houay Paii, Saravan Province and; implementation of the Sedone River Basin Sustainable Development Strategy including development of management plans for the 3 sub-basins (Houay Champi, Houay Paii and Houa Sedone) in the Sedone Riber basin.
The Sedone Integrated River Basin Management Project (SIRBMP) promotes an interprovincial and multisectoral approach to manage the resources in Sedone. It is a collaborative effort among the three provinces, the Department of Water Resources and PEMSEA. The SIRBMP is providing capacity development in various aspects of river basin management, including rapid appraisal, assessing the state of river basin development, river basin strategy development, information management and other activities designed to strengthen capacity of the Project Management Team. The intergovernmental Project Steering Committee (PSC) established in the provinces of Champasack, Saravan, and Sekong provides policy direction and recommendations to the implementation of the SIRBMP. The Project Coordinating Offices established in each of the provinces serves as Secretariat to the PSCs.
A comprehensive river basin strategy, the Sedone River Basin Strategy and its implementation plan (Sedone Riverbasin Sustainable Development and Management Plan (2015-2030), which was adopted in 2014 by the Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Provincial Office of Natural Resources and Environment in the 3 provinces, serves as a blueprint for the sustainable management of resources in the Sedone watershed area. Major implementation activities include policy implementation, land use planning, riverbank rehabilitation, protected area management, waste management, information dissemination and public awareness.
In an effort to lay the mechanism for improved watershed management, the Government of Lao PDR passed and approved its updated Water and Water Resources Law covering the comprehensive management of the country’s water resources, mitigation of potential water-related disasters and management of wastewater discharges during its National Assembly in May 2017. The country has also embarked in the development of its National River Basin Strategy to 2030 for improved management of its water resources.
Focal Points:
Dr. Inthavy Akkharath (National Focal Point)
Director-General, Department of Water Resources (DWR), Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE)
c/o Ms. Chindavanh Souriyaphack (main contact point)
Senior Officer, DWR, MONRE
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
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Integrated River Basin Management Project Newsletter - Edition 4
“Making Waves from Source to Sea” is the fourth edition of the Integrated River Basin Management Project’s newsletter, which highlights the different levels of key activities and milestones for the second year of the Project across the region. From the IRBM Project’s participation at the recently concluded 10th Biennial International Water Conference in Uruguay, to regional gender and social inclusion workshop in Indonesia, and river basin level consultation with indigenous leaders and other stakeholders — the IRBM Project is gaining more momentum to ensure impactful results in each site.
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IRBM Stories - Pasac-Guagua Watershed: A Sanctuary for Wildlife and People
Located in the central region of northern Philippines, the Pasac -Guagua Watershed is a critical source of water and livelihood that supports 152 villages within the watershed. It is one of the major river systems that drain to Manila Bay, considered the main harbor of the country that is connected to a larger marine ecosystem, that is, the South China Sea.
The Pasac-Guagua Watershed is also a biodiversity haven where a portion of it is an important migratory path for water birds. The protection and sustainable management of the watershed is essential not only for the communities and wildlife thriving in the area for coastal and marine ecosystems connected to the river.
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PEMSEA eBulletin - September 2024
Dear PEMSEA community,
Welcome to the September e-bulletin!
With just over a month to go until the East Asian Seas Congress, we are excited to unveil our lineup of global and regional experts who will lead various technical sessions and plenary discussions. The opening ceremony will feature Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of IOC-UNESCO and Assistant Secretary-General of UNESCO, alongside Dr. Vann Monyneath, Chair of the EAS Partnership Council, Ministers and senior leaders of PEMSEA country and non-country partners.
As the EASC returns to Xiamen, discover how the Congress has evolved and thrived over three decades, paralleling the city’s own journey toward promoting sustainable and resilient blue economy.
This month, PEMSEA representatives are taking the stage at various workshops and events across the globe. PEMSEA Executive Director Aimee Gonzales participated in the Marine Spatial Planning Cooperation Workshop of Maritime Silk Road Partner Countries held in Beijing, China, on 26 September 2024 where she emphasized the importance of integrating coastal management mechanisms with area-based management tools to meet global biodiversity targets.
Ms. Nancy Bermas, Regional Project Manager of the UNDP/GEF/ASEAN Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) Project, attended the 10th Biennial International Waters Conference (IWC10) in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from 23-26 September 2024, where she delivered a pitch on the IRBM Project’s experience in establishing governance mechanisms at both regional and basin levels.
While Ms. Gusung Lee, PEMSEA Technical Advisor was in Bangkok, Thailand to represent PEMSEA in a panel discussion on regional and subregional instruments, frameworks and bodies (IFBs) at the Workshop for North-East and South-East Asia on the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), held from 16-20 September 2024. She discussed PEMSEA’s experience in Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) as essential tools to manage land-sea use interaction which would be vital in extending protection and sustainable management of biodiversity in the high seas.
From the field, we share the latest updates on the UNDP/GEF/ASEAN IRBM project which held a dialogue with indigenous leaders in the Province of Pampanga on 17 September 2024. The Marine Plastics Project local partners in Dipolog City and Bulan, Sorsogon in the Philippines participated in the International Coastal Cleanup on 21 September 2024.
In other news, PEMSEA and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) have renewed their partnership on biodiversity conservation and marine habitat protection and restoration through a five-year Letter of Cooperation, signed on 20 September 2024, by their respective Executive Directors Aimee Gonzales and Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim.
From the ATSEA-2 Project, check out the recent publication of six key scientific studies focused on marine conservation and sustainable development in the Arafura and Timor Seas.