Attapeu officials held a ceremony on Wednesday to hand over all 700 houses to victims of the Xe-Pian-Xenam Noy dam collapse after a four-year construction period.
The ceremony took place in Attapeu’s Sanamxay district and saw participation from Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Sonexay Siphandone, Attapeu’s provincial governor, Mr. Let Xayaphone, and other relevant officials.
The ceremony saw the handover of all completed 700 houses to residents whose homes were swept away by the 2018 floods.
During the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Sonexay and other government officials struck a gong nine times and cut ribbons to bring good luck to the new homeowners.
The dam developer who funded the housing project, worth USD 24.5 million, has held three handovers so far for the flood victims. The first and second handovers took place last year where were 505 houses were allocated to the residents, with the final handover took place this week.
Governor of Sanamxay district, Mr. Soulivong Aphayvong, stated last year that the delay in construction was due to the combined effects of Covid-19, poor weather conditions, and limited access to the site.
The government regards the Xe-Pian-Xenam Noy dam collapse as a national crisis. The collapse was the result of substandard construction during a year of excessive rainfall. The incident claimed the lives of 40 people and displaced thousands.
Over 1,300 families and 6,600 people were left without homes after the incident.
