1. Integrated Water Resources Management in Laos - Some Data on Flood in Laos and Nam Ngum River Basin 2011
Souphasay Komany
Acting Director
Nam Ngum River Basin Committee Secretariat
Department of Water Resources
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
and

2. Water Resources Status in Lao PDR

4. Annual Surface Water Availability and Sectoral Consumptive Uses
Surface Water Availability: 270 Billion CM3 4

5. History – Regional Context
October 1957: Establishment of the Lower “Mekong Commission”, the Secretariat had been based in Bangkok.
…………. Mekong Committee. …...
1978 – 1995: Interim Mekong Committee.
1995: Mekong River Commission.
Under the Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin (Mekong Agreement 1995);
Procedures for Data and Information Exchange and Sharing;
Procedures for Water Use Monitoring;
Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement
The Secretariat based in Phnom Phene 1998 – 2003; in Vientiane 2004 – 2010; and Co-host Location between Lao and Cambodia 2010 –

6. History – National Context
Constitution, Article 17: All organizations and citizens must protect the environment and natural resources: land, underground, forests, fauna, water sources and atmosphere.
Environmental Law 1999 specifies necessary principles, rules and measures for managing, monitoring, restoring and protecting the environment in order to protect public, natural resources and biodiversity, and to ensure the sustainable socio-economic development of the nation.

7. History – National Context
Water Law 1996 paved the way for application of IWRM principles:
“determines necessary Principles, rules, and measures relative to the administration, exploitation, use and development of water and water resources in the Lao people's Democratic Republic to preserve sustainable water and water resources and to ensure volume and quality providing for people 's living requirements, promoting agriculture, forestry, and industry, developing the national souci-economy and ensuring that no damage is caused to the environment”.
Decree to Implement the Water Law 2001provides officially cross-sectoral framework for coordination and functional arrangement:
“The decree establishes the responsibilities of different ministries, agencies and local authorities with regard to the management, exploitation, development and use of water and water resources.
The Decree shall also ensure efficient development and use, conformity with the socio-economic development planning, an increase in production, an improvement of the living conditions of the people and sustainable use of water resources”.

8. History – National Context
Legal and regulatory framework and management tools developed in a less integration and given provisions were too general with the lack of subsidiary legislations. On the other hand, their enforcement were relatively limited;
Water Law is considered as framework legislation with limited dissemination and weak enforcement;
Lake of supporting subsidiary legislation, regulations and tools;
Sectoral planning observably fragmented with insufficient communication with the lack of resources supported for implementation and fully goal achievement;

9. History – National Context
Previous River Basin / Water Resources Management:
No formal RBO in-functioned;
No commonly institutional arrangement –
project-based arrangement;
Sector-based design;
Limit coordination on planning and management;
Establishment of the Water Resources Coordination Committee (WRCC), 1999:
Functional Conflict with the existing Lao National Mekong Committee (LNMC), since over 90% of the Lao territory is within the MRB;
Concept of IRBM Confused with Integrated Watershed Management Function;

10. History – National Context
At the beginning lack of national coordination / management agency (apex body); and later the coordination agency was existed but facing with insufficient authority and less recognition;
Lake of human resources and technical capacity;
Limited understanding on IWRM at national and local levels;
Fragmented, in-updated and unqualified data and information, inconsistent data and information system;

11. Present – National Arrangement
LNMC – National Water Apex Body as part of its MRC institutional Arrangement;
Honorably chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and permanently chaired by WREA; member by vice ministers of line agencies;
Former WREA (now MoNRE) – Public Administrative Body brought about IWRM functions into official stage and provide management framework for future IWRM application by considering IRBM as a heart;
DWR – Combines LNMCS and WRCCS in one and acts as LNMC Secretariat as part of its national administrative functions;
Reconceptionalizing of IRBM and IWM Functions - Agreement between WREA and MAF on River Basin Planning and Landscape Continuum Planning, 2009;
Setting up the national Models of RBC: NN RBC and NTNK RBC;

12. Mandate of RBCs
Based on the Prime Ministerial Decree, no. 293/PM, dated 15 June 2010
1. Principles:
IWRM through consultation and participation development process in river basin area among all involved agencies, including government, private sector, communities and other involved parties;
Ensure equitable water resources use and sustainable ecosystem;
Apply mechanism for polluter / user pay fee.

13. Mandate of RBCs 2. Location: River Basin Committee: Secretariat:
Non-permanent organization;
Basin-based water resources management;
Under the supervision of the LNMC
Secretariat:
Permanent organization;
Institutionally located under and technically supported by WREA (Now is reorganized as under DWR of MoNRE);
Has the permaent office location at a province in the basin;
Acts as an advisory body and permanent office to the RBC.

14. Mandate of RBCs 3. Organization and Membership River Basin Committee:
Chaired by one of the provincial governors in the basin and has 5 year rotation;
Vice-chaired by vice governors in the basin and the Vice Head of WREA (now is being reorganized as MoNRE);
Key National Departments as Members;
Key Provincial Divisions in the basin as Members;
Representatives of Development Groups (Hydropower, Mining, Industry and Agriculture> in the basin as Members:
Representatives of Communities in the basin as Members:
Prepresentatives of Multi-ethnic Groups and Mass Organizations in the basin as Members.
Secretariat:
The DG of RBCS has jurisdictional position as same as DG of Department;
Composes of DDGs, Head and Deputy Heads and staff;
(Now this structure is being reorganized, which is possibly under the DWR of MoNRE).

15. Public Administration Sub-international Basin
Coordination Arrangement (Impermanent Bodies)
Public Administration
(Legislative / Permanent Bodies)
Mekong River Commission
National Government
International and
Sub-international Basin
Lao National Mekong Committee
MoNRE
Ministries / Agencies
National Level
DWR /
LNMC Secretariat
MoNRE Depts
Relevant Depts / Divs
River Basin Committee
RBC Secretariat
Sub-national Basin
Prov. Adms
Sectoral Sub-committees / Forums
Prov. Level
Task Forces / Working Groups / Advisory Groups
Provincial
DoNREs
Prov.
Agencies
Dist. Adms
Sub-basin
Sub-Basin
Committees
District OoNREs
Dist. Agencies
Dist. Level

17. Nam Ngum RB Profile ISSUES:
Physical Features
Area
16,800 square km
(7% of national area)
Length
354 km
Water Resources
Average Flow to Mekong River
22 billion m3 / year
(14% Mekong Flow)
Annual Water Use
0.9 billion m3
Agriculture: 99%
Urban: %
Industrial: %
Land Cover and Use
Natural Forest
47%
Shrub land / Re-growth
34%
Agriculture 8%
Grassland 7%
Water surface 3%
Urban area
0.02%
Administration
No. of provinces 5
No. of District 19
Population
502,000 persons
(9% of Lao PDR)
ISSUES:
- lack of knowledge, experiences and inadequate capacity;
water use for various purposes;
hydropower development;
irrigation schemes have increasingly developed throughout the basin;
lack of sub-basin management plans
impact from water related disaster – flood & drought.

18. Major Sectoral Water Resources Development in the Nam Ngum River Basin
Major Debvelopment
Present Situation
Future Expectation
Hydropower
5 Projects (2011)
14 Projects (2020)
Irrigation
58,000 Ha (2004)
Maximum Potential: 150,000 Ha
Domestic Water Use
326,000 m3/Month (2006)
482,500 m3/Month (2020)
Tourism
250,000 visitors (2010)
1,600,000 visitors (2020)
Medium and Major Mining
Over 34 Projects (2007)
Expected to be largely increased
Medium and Major Industries
197 plants (2008)
Other water uses
Increasing

19. The Nam Ngum- Mekong Linkage

20. NN RIVER BASIN PLANNING
DEVELOPMENT PLANS
National
Province
District
STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS
NNRBC
SUB-BASIN COMMITTEES
(Districts, communities)
WATER RESOURCES PLANS
National WR Strategy
MoNRE Strategy
NN IWRM Plan
OTHER PLANS
MRC BDP & Procedures
Sector plans
Climate change adaptation plans
MDG, PRSP etc.etc.
NNRB PLAN
ANNUAL NNRBC WORK PLANS
(NNRB Secretariat)

21. NN IWRM Planning Initiatives
Key Result Areas:
Building Capacity to Manage the NNRB;
Sustainable Water Use;
Optimization Hydropower Outcomes;
Developing the Irrigation Potential of the Basin;
River Sub-basin Management;
Reducing Risks and Impacts from Water Relate Disasters.

22. Flood Characteristics in Laos and NNRB
Floods are by far the most damaging of all the natural disasters the strike the Lao PDR.
The central and southern regions are most affected by the frequent floods.
Flooding is a regular occurrence in the Nam Ngum River Basin and casing economic loss, social hardship and the times loss life.
Flooding is also important for the maintenance of riparian and aquatic ecosystems and also contributes to improve the fertility of soils.
Flooding on the Vientiane Plains is a serious and complex problem caused by waters from the Nam Ngum River , the unregulated Nam Lik River and interaction with the waters of the Mekong river.

23. Luangprabang Province
Flood in urban center and adjacent
Xiengkhuang Province
Historical flsah flood of two districts
Bolikhamxay Province
Flood along the Mekong on the Road No.13
Vientiane Province
Flash flood of Vangvieng and Kasi Districts
Saravan and Sekong Provinces
Historical flash flood to urban and adjacent districts
Vientiane Capital
Flood in urban districts
Khammuan Province
Flood along the Mekong on road No. 13 and Xebangfai River
Champasack Province
Flood at the river mount of Sedone River

25. Flood damage and impacts in Nam Ngum (2011)
Provinces affected
3 provinces: Xiengkhouang, Vientiane, Vientiane Capital
Districts affected 13
Villages affected
252
People affected
People injured
People killed 8
Cost damaged in Nam Ngum
> 14 millions USD

26. Flood damage and impacts in Nam Ngum (2011) – cont.
Agriculture
Hectares of Rice paddy fields affected
3,861.10
Irrigation damaged
Livestock
Cattle
141 head lost
Poultry
6,622 head lost
Fish ponds, fishes and aquaculture
179 sites

27. Existing and Planned Hydropower Development Plan