Rehabilitation And Reconstruction Of Shelter In Lao Pdr

The purpose of the project is to provide reconstruction and rehabilitation support to those who were most severely affected by the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy dam collapse as well as the flooding events in July and August 2018.  The floods caused severe damage to the housing and settlements sector in 11 provinces: Phongsaly, Luangnamtha, Oudomxay, Bokeo, Luangprabang, Xayaboury, Xiengkhuang, Borikhamxay, Savannakhet, Sekong, and Attapeu. Although the events and magnitude of the damage differed from province to province, the damage was highly concentrated in the southern province of Attapeu and the northern provinces of Oudomxay, Luangprabang, and Xiengkhuang. A total of 1,620 houses were assessed as destroyed, while 681 were damaged. Overall sector damage was estimated at 21.1 billion Lao kip (US$ 2.46 million). Losses were mainly incurred in the form of revenue loss and temporary shelter, totalling 574.0 million Lao kip (US$ 67,000).

The Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy dam collapse resulted in over five billion cubic meters of water, equal to two million Olympic swimming pools, inundating the surrounding lands, covering it with mud and sludge. Initial air and ground assessment results led the Prime Minister of Lao PDR to declare the affected areas as a National Emergency Disaster Zone[1]. Besides the displacement of the communities and the losses and damages to housing, around 100,000 hectares of paddy fields have been damaged and a large number of live-stock has been lost. Irrigation systems have also been heavily damaged along with other basic infrastructures, schools and hospitals. Reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts align with the national development agenda of building resilience in climate vulnerable communities and will help in graduating from Least Developed Country status.

A timely response is needed as future rains will further decrease resilience of the affected people and increase their vulnerability to localised floods and water borne diseases.

Basic services and amenities will be appropriately rehabilitated and/or reconstructed, securing access to clean water and sanitation needs for those displaced. Providing further life-saving assistance such as food, clothes, tents and sleeping mattresses will help in building short term resiliency.

In the past, UN-Habitat in Laos has been involved in rehabilitation and reconstruction interventions, using BBB as the guiding principle, providing assistance in the development of shelter, both emergency and otherwise, and the development of water supply networks and the reconstruction and repairs of other infrastructure projects. Currently, UN-Habitat is implementing a major climate change project in 189 settlements in the southern provinces, where detailed vulnerability assessments of the settlements have been conducted, affirming the organisation’s experience and expertise in the housing and WASH sectors. 

[1] Lao PDR, Disaster Response Plan, August 2018-December 2018, https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/LAO_ResponseP…