Khok Kham
Completed: February 2017
Completed: February 2017
Location and Access
Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Khok Kham Village is approximately 2 hours north via slow boat from Luang Prabang. Accessibility is via the Mekong River and reaching the village can be achieved throughout the year. Supplies that can’t be sourced from the community directly will be shipped up the Mekong from Luang Prabang.
Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Khok Kham Village is approximately 2 hours north via slow boat from Luang Prabang. Accessibility is via the Mekong River and reaching the village can be achieved throughout the year. Supplies that can’t be sourced from the community directly will be shipped up the Mekong from Luang Prabang.
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The Economy
The economy is predominantly farming and fishing. With such close proximity to the Mekong River fishing to sell locally or at the market is a main source of income. The surrounding mountains and valley’s provide grounds for agriculture. Valleys of paddy fields juxtaposed by hills steeped in teak trees. Slash and burn is evident and indeed prevalent during the month of March. |
Demographic
The village is fairly small, with only 47 families with 186 people residing there. The ethnicity of the village is Lao Lom. There are a variety of houses ranging from semi-concrete and wooden structures through to wooden shacks. |
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Condition of water in Khok Kham pre-project
The current water system was constructed in the early 2000’s and built to supply a much smaller community. This is evidenced by the water holding tank, which is located in the centre of the village, clearly constructed for a couple of dozen (at most) households around the immediate vicinity of the tank.
As the village population has expanded additional pipeline has been run from the tank to faucet stations. However, the system doesn’t have the capacity to carry enough water. This is further compounded by the set up of the tank itself. It is too low to be able to provide enough water pressure to get water out to additional faucet stations.
As well as the issues with the system and the way it is set up, there are other general problems. Worn taps, damaged pipeline and evidence of degradation on the tank itself all add to the need to redevelop the system.
The current water system was constructed in the early 2000’s and built to supply a much smaller community. This is evidenced by the water holding tank, which is located in the centre of the village, clearly constructed for a couple of dozen (at most) households around the immediate vicinity of the tank.
As the village population has expanded additional pipeline has been run from the tank to faucet stations. However, the system doesn’t have the capacity to carry enough water. This is further compounded by the set up of the tank itself. It is too low to be able to provide enough water pressure to get water out to additional faucet stations.
As well as the issues with the system and the way it is set up, there are other general problems. Worn taps, damaged pipeline and evidence of degradation on the tank itself all add to the need to redevelop the system.
The Project:
To assist locals in the construction of a new Gravity-flow Water System to supply the entire community with a plentiful supply of running water
To assist locals in the construction of a new Gravity-flow Water System to supply the entire community with a plentiful supply of running water
VTL is aiming to construct a new water holding tank that will be fed by additional pipeline from the water source. This tank will measure 4x4x4 and carry enough water to provide the community with a surplus flow all year round. The surplus flow will be utilised over subsequent years as the village population grows.
Further to this, we will install additional pipeline that will feed from the new water tank to the old one. This will provide additional pressure that will make use of the previously installed water channels. These channels will feed faucets already established in the community that are currently non-operational.
In addition, we will look to construct between 3-5 new water faucet stations for the community to make use of. This will improve the accessibility the community has to running water. Whilst this process is undertaken, families will be encouraged to explore possibilities of plumbing their own homes and even there own smaller tanks to store water for the house.
Those families that consider applying this will be in a good position for future development of household sanitation, where running water is key to providing cleanliness and improving hygiene.
Further to this, we will install additional pipeline that will feed from the new water tank to the old one. This will provide additional pressure that will make use of the previously installed water channels. These channels will feed faucets already established in the community that are currently non-operational.
In addition, we will look to construct between 3-5 new water faucet stations for the community to make use of. This will improve the accessibility the community has to running water. Whilst this process is undertaken, families will be encouraged to explore possibilities of plumbing their own homes and even there own smaller tanks to store water for the house.
Those families that consider applying this will be in a good position for future development of household sanitation, where running water is key to providing cleanliness and improving hygiene.
Photos showing previous VTL work done on providing running water to rural Lao communities.
Why is this work so important?
Accessibility to a year-round supply of running water is a vital component in improving the lives of rural Lao citizens. The provision of safe water benefits the health and development of children, reducing the incidence of diarrheal diseases, which account for 10 per cent of under-5 deaths in the Lao PDR.
About 30 percent of child mortality under the age of five has been attributed to inadequate water supply. Whilst diarrheal diseases are a major problem- general malnutrition and helminthic infections are also prevalent. Stunting in children is another factor influenced heavily by inadequate water supply. This causes poor growth in young people, both physically and cognitively, which is not only a health concern but also an economic burden as that stunted child is unlikely to become productive in society. (UNICEF/WSP).
Accessibility to a year-round supply of running water is a vital component in improving the lives of rural Lao citizens. The provision of safe water benefits the health and development of children, reducing the incidence of diarrheal diseases, which account for 10 per cent of under-5 deaths in the Lao PDR.
About 30 percent of child mortality under the age of five has been attributed to inadequate water supply. Whilst diarrheal diseases are a major problem- general malnutrition and helminthic infections are also prevalent. Stunting in children is another factor influenced heavily by inadequate water supply. This causes poor growth in young people, both physically and cognitively, which is not only a health concern but also an economic burden as that stunted child is unlikely to become productive in society. (UNICEF/WSP).
Data shows a connection between school enrollment and attendance within communities that have adequate water supply and those that don’t. It is appropriate to say therefore, that attainment levels in rural villages that don’t have access to water are bound to be lower than those that do. Furthermore, this is exacerbated further when considering the urban attainment levels compared to rural (no water access) villages. (WHO)
According to the World Bank’s Poverty and Environment Report (2014), the cost to the country of inadequate water and sanitation services is estimated to have been at least 5.6% of GDP in 2006 and possibly as high as 10% of GDP if all costs related to the detrimental effects of child malnutrition are included.
There is also the effort to reduce inequality between the rural and urban. “Urban-rural gaps in clean water and sanitation are widespread in this landlocked, mountainous country of 6.7 million people, where nearly 70 percent of the population lives in rural areas. “ (IRIN)
According to the World Bank’s Poverty and Environment Report (2014), the cost to the country of inadequate water and sanitation services is estimated to have been at least 5.6% of GDP in 2006 and possibly as high as 10% of GDP if all costs related to the detrimental effects of child malnutrition are included.
There is also the effort to reduce inequality between the rural and urban. “Urban-rural gaps in clean water and sanitation are widespread in this landlocked, mountainous country of 6.7 million people, where nearly 70 percent of the population lives in rural areas. “ (IRIN)
Outcomes
From a purely health perspective the benefits of adequate water supply acts as a preventive intervention, the main outcome is a reduction in the number of episodes of infectious diarrhoea. Stunting will still persist to a degree, as its causes are broader than the aforementioned. However, in tandem with the previous sanitation project, combined with a plentiful supply of water we would hope that there would be medium to long-term improvement in stunting levels within the community.
From a purely health perspective the benefits of adequate water supply acts as a preventive intervention, the main outcome is a reduction in the number of episodes of infectious diarrhoea. Stunting will still persist to a degree, as its causes are broader than the aforementioned. However, in tandem with the previous sanitation project, combined with a plentiful supply of water we would hope that there would be medium to long-term improvement in stunting levels within the community.
Non-health benefits are also diverse, from gains that are easily identifiable and quantifiable (costs avoided, time saved) to the more intangible (convenience, well-being).
A specific example would be school attendance (children less likely to miss school due to diarrhoea related illness). Therefore, one could assert a child would gain a better education from their family possessing an adequate sanitation unit. Their increased attendance due to less prevalence of ill-health is measurable, their added comfort of improved health is harder to judge, but we would expect added comfort to improve learning retention within the community.
Adults are also beneficiaries to the obvious health benefits. It is also reasonable to expect them to be more productive within their community. Less time spent taking care of their children suffering from ill-health would deliver more working days to contribute to the village economy. Indeed, their own improvements to health and wellbeing would also deliver more working days.
A specific example would be school attendance (children less likely to miss school due to diarrhoea related illness). Therefore, one could assert a child would gain a better education from their family possessing an adequate sanitation unit. Their increased attendance due to less prevalence of ill-health is measurable, their added comfort of improved health is harder to judge, but we would expect added comfort to improve learning retention within the community.
Adults are also beneficiaries to the obvious health benefits. It is also reasonable to expect them to be more productive within their community. Less time spent taking care of their children suffering from ill-health would deliver more working days to contribute to the village economy. Indeed, their own improvements to health and wellbeing would also deliver more working days.
Layout example of a Gravity-flow water system
Volunteers from Baraka Community Partnerships assisted the local community in the opening stages of the water system project in Khok Kham Village. They worked on the metal framework for the water holding tank and furthermore laid the foundation for it. By the time of their departure locals had cast concrete for the base of the water holding tank.
