A step forward in Laos
WWT’s work in Laos has been a resounding success, with the threat of building development around the sensitive and vulnerable That Luang Marsh averted, at least for the time being.
WWT’s chief executive was able to report on the latest work at the marsh at WWT’s WATER project workshop in Laos in January, which some 60 delegates from Laos itself, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand attended.
The plans that WWT are currently proposing for the marsh focus on its important role in storing floodwater, therefore reducing flooding across the city; treating the city’s wastewater, resulting in an improved urban environment; providing food for more than 40,000 people through rice and aquatic resources such as fish, snails and plants; and being an important biodiversity area for the city. That Luang Marsh also has a large cultural significance for the people of Laos as the important That Luang Temple is situated on the edge of the marsh.
The project has also constructed five wetland treatment systems to demonstrate the treatment of industrial and domestic wastewater.
