The government of Laos has begun construction of the second phase of a flood protection project in Vientiane Capital this month.
An opening ceremony for the second phase of the flood protection embankment along the Mekong River took place in Vientiane Capital on Friday, attended by the Mayor of Vientiane Capital, Mr. Atsaphangthong Siphandone, Vientiane Mai reports.
The project, entitled Phase II of the Vientiane Flood Embankment Protection Project, under the Flood and Drought Risk Management and Mitigation Project, is set to be complete within 48 months.
Director of the Vientiane Capital Department of Public Works and Transport, Mr. Soulivanh Phommahaxay, says the construction project will run from Watnak Village in Sisattanak District downstream to Haddorkkeo Village in Vientiane Capital’s Hatsaifong District.
Authorities approved the construction of the second phase of the flood protection project in September last year.
The embankment project is valued at over USD 67.5 million, funded partially with a loan from South Korea.
The project will upgrade the flood protection embankment and construct a riprap erosion prevention system that will connect Km 3 of Sisattanak District through Hatsaifong District, covering a distance of over nine kilometers, according to Mr. Soulivanh.
He said that the construction site, which covers 5.9 hectares in Hatsaifong District’s Kengpayang Village, would be developed into a public park in the future.,
“The project will also include the upgrading of the embankment surface into a road along the Mekong riverbank, as well as the installation of street lights and the building of drainage canals,” said Mr. Soulivanh.
“Authorities will upgrade the flood embankment protection that was completed in the first phase of construction, linking Oumong to Kaolieo villages of Sikhottabong District, covering a distance of 4.4 kilometers, with the development of the road concreting along the embankment, street light installation, and building drainage ditches,” Mr. Soulivanh added.
