Special program for the rehabilitation of infrastructure in southern Laos

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The 2018 rainy season brought particularly heavy rainfall, which led to severe damage to infrastructure across the country. The Sanamxay district in Attapeu province was particularly affected by a dam burst on July 23, 2018. The dam of a reservoir of the Xepian-Xe Nam Noi hydroelectric power plant project broke. This led to widespread flooding across the Xe Pian river valley. 42 people died as a result, and 29 others are still missing. The flood severely damaged six villages with a population of around 7,000 people, and significantly damaged another 7 villages. The damaged infrastructure included around 30 km of roads with 14 bridges, as well as a number of schools, hospitals, irrigation systems, and other infrastructure. The aim of the project is the climate-resilient reconstruction of important parts of the physical infrastructure in the areas affected by flooding and heavy rainfall. The population should regain access to markets, schools, and health centers. The rebuilt and improved economic infrastructure will enable a sustainable economic recovery in the affected areas. To ensure sustainability, the capacities of both the affected population and the implementation partners to operate and maintain the infrastructure will also be strengthened.