Pakse city is one of the key economic growth centers for Laos. It’s a corridor town that acts as a hub for commerce, trade and tourism for southern Laos. Recognizing the economic importance of the city, the Provincial and City Governments have decided to improve the urban environment of the city.

Currently, around 16.4 MLD wastewater is generated in Pakse. The city lacks proper containment, collection and treatment infrastructure. Residential and commercial properties mainly rely on unregulated onsite containment systems. About 60% of properties have septic tanks. These are connected to either soak pits or to the stormwater drains. Rest of the properties dispose the wastewater directly into stormwater drains or to soak pits. 83% of the septic tanks have never been emptied. 100% of the wastewater generated in the city flows into Mekong / Xedon rivers or seeps into the ground without treatment. This has created issues of public health, hygiene and ground water pollution.

The city has set itself a vision of becoming the “Cleanest and Greenest city in Lao PDR”. The wastewater plan aligns with this vision. This plan lays out a 10-year vision (from 2022 to 2033), road map and action plan for improved management of domestic wastewater (black and grey water) in Pakse. The city aims to meet the sustainable development goal (SDG) targets of (1) 100% population having access to safe sanitation services and (2) 50% of the wastewater in the city is treated before disposal by 2033.

To achieve the above targets, the city has decided to undertake institutional reforms and adopt a plan which is based on the following principles: (1) Provide sanitation as a Public Service; (2) Levy a full cost recovery sanitation tariff based on polluter pays principle; (3) Adapt sanitation systems that has the least operations and maintenance (O&M) implications to ensure affordability; (4) Adapt a mix of technologies which are suitable locally, ensure sustainability of service provision and keep the capital costs at a minimum; and (5) Leverage private participation for service provision and infrastructure investments.

The city aims at reforming the service delivery framework in the city by (1) clarifying the institutional mandates at provincial and city government levels, (2) appoint government / private operators on performance contracts, (3) Adopt a city faecal sludge management regulation, (4) levy a user charge to all properties in the city based on water consumption and update / develop regulations to ensure that the future developments comply with onsite sanitation standards. The city plans to strengthen staff capacity and appoint dedicated staff to manage sanitation service provision in the city.

The city aims to develop a catchment level, decentralized sewerage systems in flood prone, dense and low-lying areas which are prone to ground water pollution. All other properties / areas in the city are planned to be covered through scheduled emptying every three years and faecal sludge management. The city estimates an investment of USD 28 Million in 4 phases in decentralized sanitation systems and faecal sludge management systems. The city plans to levy sanitation user charge on “polluter pays principle” by linking the tariffs to water consumption and 2 hence the wastewater generation. The city aims to engage development partners and private sectors to generate resources for the implementation of this. The Provincial government plans to review this strategy implementation every three years.