Following the lead of the nation’s capital, Vientiane, Luang Prabang declared itself open defecation-free last week. It is the third province to make such an announcement.
Mr. Bounlem Manivong, Deputy Governor of Luang Prabang Province, Dr. Sanong Thongsana, Deputy Minister of Health, and Mr. Viengthong Hatsachanh, Mayor of Luang Prabang, attended the ceremony to mark the end of open defecation in the province on Thursday.
Through the implementation of the four-year plan (2019-2022), Luang Prabang has eliminated open defecation in all 115 villages in the province.
On the same day, Savannakhet announced the end of open defecation in 17 villages in Atsaphangthong district where all households maintained satisfactory sanitation.
If the national policy and strategy on sanitation are fully implemented, Laos can declare itself to be free of open defecation in 2025. It will become a ‘sanitation’ country by 2030.
Vientiane capital became the first capital city in the ASEAN region to receive the Open Defecation Free status earlier this year. It is also the second province of Laos to reach this milestone after Bolikhamxay Province which ended the practice in 2020.
