Vang Lei (Phase 1)
(completed: December 2014)
(completed: December 2014)
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December marked the completion of a gravity fed water system in the village of Vang Lei which now provides the necessary water supply the community needs all year round. The system has a much enhanced carrying capacity and the new source will provide enough water for many years. Over the course of the project, the village population has increased as several families moved into the community for the benefit of the system. Thus, we built a couple of additional taps to meet their needs. This work marks our first phase of a three year strategy in Vang Lei. Next we will work on the school construction and then the provision of sanitation for the community. Huge thanks must be given to Baraka Community Partnerships and Exodus Travels for their support in making this happen.
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August 2014: fishing boats line the Nam Ou to pass the pipeline to the village side of the river.
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Background...
Approximately 37km to the north of Luang Prabang sits the village of Vang Lei. Set amongst a backdrop of mountains and jungle the village is a small, close nit community. The village is situated on the Nam Ou River and thus many of the villagers earn a living from fishing. Viewpoints from the village offer panoramic views of the river and dense jungle backdrop. The village consists of a population of 372, which is broken down across 76 families. On the other side of the Nam Ou river is the now abandoned “Old” Vang Lei. In 2001, Vang Lei moved across the river as part of government development policy aimed at improving infrastructure. However, over time the promised benefits have not been realised. |
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The Project:
To construct and new water system capable of supplying the village with enough water to meet its current and future needs.
To construct and new water system capable of supplying the village with enough water to meet its current and future needs.
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Vang Lei does already have a water system, however, it is insufficient, unclean and has fallen in to disrepair. The goal of this phase of project work in the community is to build a high quality and durable water system, with the aim of educating local villagers on how to sustain and maintain the water system once completed. The village population is growing, and once this phase reaches fruition that
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growth is very likely to increase expected to rise. Local authorities anticipate that the village will have a population of approximately 600 within the next decade. Thus it is crucial that infrastructure is in place to meet the expected increase in population. Vang Lei will also be seeing further project work over the next five years, as Volun-Tour Laos and our friends at Baraka Community Partnerships seek to
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expand our project work together. The running water system is the start of this process, which will then see sanitation developed as well as new school buildings. Therefore, we justify the project on the grounds of its short-term benefit to the village, but also the long-term benefits of creating infrastructure to meet population growth and delivering local knowledge to maintain it.
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The early stages (May 2014)
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Making Progress (June 2014)
The community working together is a top objective of ours. They make the effort, they take ownership, then they will look after and maintain it.
Volunteers from Baraka/Exodus and locals at a new tap unit
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The pipeline and tap units are supported by a brand new holding tank. With the pipeline also supplementing the old, undersized, tank. A new source, new tank and new taps. Pictures to the right show the process of constructing a tank measuring 4 cubic metres. |
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