Champasak Province

Profile

Geographic, Demographic Socioeconomic:


Land area (km²)	14,973 km²
Total length of major river (km)	1,574 km (Total length of Sedone River)
Major river systems (names)	Houay Champi (81.39 km), Houay Palay (48.8 km) and Houay Kapu (25 km)
Watershed areas (km² per river basin)	1,355 km² (18% of the total area of Sedone River Basin)
Total number of provinces/municipalities within watershed/river basin	4 districts in Champasack: Bachieng, Sanasomboon, Paxong and Pakse
Population (latest census)	607,333
Population growth rate (latest census)	2.3%
Male/Female ratio (latest census)
Average annual household income (latest census)	USD 1,097
Sectoral employment (percentage of total employment; latest census) Agriculture/fisheries Industry Services	Agriculture: 36% Industry: 2% Services: 13%

Ecological/Environmental:


Key Marine Habitats (Forests, wetlands, fishery areas, etc.) (Areal coverage/habitat)	• Xe Kong Plains (350 km², shared by Champasak and Attapeu provinces) • Pakxong Wetland (100 km²) • Bung Nong Ngom Wetland (30 km²) • Dong Hua Sao Wetland (1,000 km²) • Xe Nam Noy Wetland (6 km²) • Nong Sam Wetland (.10 km²) • Nong Lom (.01 km²)
National Protected Areas (Number of MPAs and total areal coverage)	3 National Biodiversity Conservation Areas make up a combined total area of 414,540 ha, which include Dong Houa Sao, Xe Pien and Phou Xeng Thong biodiversity conservation areas.
Fisheries and forestry (species/levels)	• Forest: There are 5 main forest types in Sedone River Basin: grassland, dry dipterocarp, savannah/open woodland, mixed deciduous forest and evergreen forest. • Fish species: perch, small fish, small catfish, catfish and guppy.

Threats and Hazards to sustainable development of marine and coastal areas and ecosystems:


Climate variation and change	• Annual flooding and drought • Tropical storms: Xangzan (2009), Likima (2007), Ketsana (2009) and Nokten (2011). Storms were previously not as prominent.
Other natural threats and hazards	• Riverbank erosion (no information available on extent of erosion) • Dry spells
Man-made threats and hazards	• Contamination of groundwater due to use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. • Water quality deterioration and decrease in water quantity with less than 5 m3/person. Due to low water supply and chemical use, there is a high concentration of chemicals in the water with the predominant use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers by rubber plantations. • Contamination of river water due to solid and liquid wastes from households, local industries, restaurants and hotels along the riverbanks. • Poaching of endangered species • Illegal logging • Conversion of forest areas to industrial and residential areas • Water pollution from agricultural activities • Land degradation
	Sources: State of the Sedone River Basin, 2009; Social-Economic Development Plan 2015-2020 of Champasak Province; Social-Economic Development Plan 2011–2012 of Sekong Province; Five-Year Economic Development Plan of Sekong; Disaster Reduction Plan 2011–2015 of Saravan Province; Working Draft of Interim Inventory of Wetland of the Lao PDR, UNDP.

Status of ICM Implementation

ICM Coverage and Governance Indicators:


	ONGOING DEV'T	IN PLACE	SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION/ REMARKS
ICM Coordinating Mechanism	X		Houay Champi Sub River Basin Committee was established in Pakxong District as part of the implementation of the IRBM Project that was supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); established the Provincial Project Steering Committee in Champasack Province for the SDSSEA Scaling Up Project; on-going strengthening of PPSCs
ICM Project/Program Office	X		As part of the SDC Project, coordinating office was established in Pakxong District; for the SDSSEA Scaling Up Project, PMO was established at the Provincial Office of Natural Resources and Environment; ongoing strengthening of PMO Office
Stakeholder Participation		X	During consultation process
Coastal Strategy/Implementation Plan	X		Houay Champi Sub-riverbasin Management Plan (2014-2020) drafted and adopted by the 3 districts and the Director of the Provincial Natural Resources and Environment Office as part of the SDC Project; Sedone Riverbasin Strategy and Management Plan developed and adopted.
ICM Work Plan, Budget & Financing and Human Resources Committed		X	Detailed work plan and budget
M&E Mechanism (including SOC Reporting)	X		State of Houay Champi Sub-basin Report developed as one of the outputs of the SDC Project; State of Sedone Riverbasin Report developed

ICM Management Processes:


	NOT YET IN PLACE	ONGOING DEV'T	IN PLACE	SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION/ REMARKS
Management Plan(s) (*at least 2 required by ICM Code Level 1)			X	Houay Champi Sub-riverbasin Management Plan (2014-2020)
Tools applied (i.e., Zoning, MPAs, EAFM, IRBCAM, and other tools)			X	IRBM/IWRM; water resources management group; village water conservation fund

Agriculture Management and Livelihood Development:


	ONGOING DEV'T	IN PLACE	SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION/ REMARKS
			End of project targets: • 10% of fisher households in identified coastal/watershed communities benefit from sustainable alternative livelihood programs • 25% increase in household income in fishers’/farmers’ households benefiting from functional alternative livelihood programs
Livelihood development and implementation opportunities	X		• The majority of the main occupation of the respondents was agriculture. The other occupations were business, staff officers, and laborer. 100% of the respondents in Banglieng villages, 94.74% in Champi village, 87.50% in KM28 village, 73.68% in KM35, 71.43% in Donevillage, 63.83% in Vatluang village and 39.13% in Nongkok village were engaged in agriculture. Laborers covered 39.13% in Nongkok, 28.57% in Done village and 5.26% in Champi village. • The secondary occupation of the respondents was mainly laborers and agriculture, which was 85.71% in Done village and 84.21% in Champi village. Other remaining secondary occupation were staff officers, business and others. • The annual incomes of respondents were investigated by determined a range of incomes as 1-5 mill., 5.1-10 mill., 11-20 mill., and more than 20 mill. The survey found that the incomes ranked in different levels. The highest income of >20 mill was found in Banglieng village, which accounted for 85.19%. The incomes of 11-20 mill. were found in KM28 (52.17%), Done (57.14%), Nongkok (50%) and other villages ranked from 11-26%. • The main annual incomes sources of respondents from KM28, KM35, Banglieng and Vatluang were coffee selling. Wages were found in Done, Nongkok and Champi villages. Rice selling was found in Done, Nongkok and Champi villages. The secondary annual incomes sources were coffee selling, salary, wages, business, rice selling, banana selling, durian selling, vegetables selling, cassava selling and livestock selling. Mostly the secondary incomes were based on the agricultural production. (Source: Baseline Assessment Report of Sedone Riverbasin, 2016) Based on field observation and discussion with local officials and other stakeholders, the following livelihood activities should be considered under the GEF Project:
			• Comprehensive study of existing and potential livelihood activities for the sub-basin. Farm production is seasonal and needs to be studied carefully to ensure the effective use of revolving fund by the households at different times of the year. Given the seasonal economic activities for agricultural communities, the project will have to look at viable supplemental livelihood projects at certain times of the year to improve productivity. The study would also have to look into linkage between production and market, possibly catering to local restaurants and tourist establishments as immediate markets. • Coffee production and other value-adding activities. Since there is a ready market for coffee beans in the province, one option would be to encourage villages near some of the identified reforestation areas. However, since it takes some time for the trees to be productive (at least 4 years), and as such, additional livelihood sources could be explored. Value-adding for surplus fruits and vegetables can be considered using local resources, ingredients or technologies. • Agro-tourism. Houay Champi has a distinct, pleasant climate and good agricultural productivity. While the GEF project may not be able to fund an extensive agro-tourism project, it can assist the communities in developing agro-tourism and capitalize on the growing tourism in the province. (Scoping Report Champasack Province)
Market assessment/sustainability analysis of alternative livelihoods		X	• Value chain analysis of agricultural produce in selected villages in Houay Champi has been conducted. Some of the results and recommendations are as follows (Value chain analysis report). • Majority of the stakeholders in Sedone rely on agricultural and cultivation, producing mainly fruits, vegetables and coffee. The baseline assessment covering 17 villages showed rice cultivation and coffee as the main source of income for the villages, with fruit and vegetable production as additional income sources. Sedone is the main coffee producer for the entire country and exports coffee to other Asian and European countries. Agricultural production is a good source of income in Southern Lao due to its favorable climate and soil quality. • However, the limited access to market, post-harvest processing, start-up capital among households and unorganized, household-based production, limit the income-earning potentials from agricultural products. • To create a rational agrotourism program that would include all the recipient villages, an integrated approach can be adopted. Doing this is more practical, specially if efforts to reach out to the market, through the setting up of an agrotourism trading post and tourism center in Pakse would be pursued. All the agricultural products, as well as tourism information on the villages would be made accessible to the market. This can also become the booking center for tourists and tour operators who would schedule to visit the tourist attractions that are to be developed.
			• To implement this, a sustainable business model will have to be implemented. This would include identifying the most suitable location that should be easily seen and visited by the tourists staying in Pakse, allocating start-up capitalization for space rental and payment of personnel for the first one or two years of operation so that the communities will not be burdened by financial obligations which would make participation in the program unattractive. After a given period, the trading post should be able to become self-liquidating or even earn encouraging amount of revenues that will help define the success and sustainability of the program.
Pilot project proposal/action plan for livelihood development	X		Matrix of potential implementation of agritourism in selected villages in Houay Champi is given below. (Value Chain Analysis for Agricultural Produce in Selected Villages)

Pollution Reduction:


	NOT YET IN PLACE	ONGOING DEV'T	IN PLACE	SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION/ REMARKS
				End of project targets: • 250 households in 3 sub-basins benefit from access to adequate and safe drinking water • Water quality and water quantity monitoring program implemented in 3 districts
Profiles of pilot river basin/coastal areas (including areal extent of priority river basins/coastal areas covered by ICM/IWRM management plans)			X	• Houay champi sub- basin is located in Southen Laos, between latitudes 59 - 63 degrees north and longtitude 168 to 170 degrees east. The Houay Champi river has a length of 81,39 km. Houay Champi originates from Thevada and flows into the Sedone. This sub-basin is important in the management of Sedone as 95% of the total population in the sub-basin relies on agriculture for their livelihood. Limited water supply can reduce the productivity of agricultural production. The Houay Champi area is also a main coffee producer for the country and changes in water supply could have a negative impact on coffee production. Houay Champi is also significant to the Province of Champasack since most of the water supplied in Pakse (Southern Capital) originates from Houay Champi (Scoping Report of Champasack Province). • There are three districts and 44 villages within Hoauychampi sub basin: Paksong, Bachieng and Sanasomboun. Houay Champi covers a total land area of 34,487 hectares. (Scoping Report of Champasack Province). • In 2013, the State of Houay Champi Sub-basin Report was published (in Lao language) as part of the implementation of the Houay Champi Integrated Sub-River Basin Management Project supported by Swiss Development Agency (State of Houay Champi Sub-basin Report)
Project proposal/action plan for an integrated river basin and coastal area focusing on pollution prevention and management and/or water resource conservation, protection and management			X	Houay Champi Sub-river basin Management Plan 2014-2020 was developed as part of the implementation of the Swiss Development Agency supported Houay Champi Integrated Sub-River Basin Management Project. The Management Plan was prepared through the discussion and consultation with the related stakeholders. It includes 7 main activities to sustain the water resources and environment of the sub-river basin. Among the priorities identified are as follows. 1. Decreasing forest cover in the headwater area leading to reduced water retention capacity Proposed GEF interventions: • Socio-economic and ecological assessment to determine the condition of the site, its socio-economic importance and the extent of reforestation efforts that need to be done • Development of a management plan for rehabilitation of the headwater area and other key sites in the sub-basin as indicated above • Using coffee varieties for reforestation to enhance livelihood of farmers (see under livelihood) • Organization of villages near the area to monitor the planted trees and set up nurseries for reforestation • Assessment of impacts/survival rate and contribution to improving water holding capacity in the headwater area. • Organizing Water Resources Management Volunteer Group; • Development and implementation of water resources management regulation; • Water Quality Monitoring • Establishment and maintenance of water Resources Management Fund • Establish and support water resources volunteer group (Patrolling group) • Community-based Eco -Tourism group at Ban Watluang. 2. Deteriorating water quality due to solid and liquid wastes Improper solid and liquid waste disposal contributing to water quality deterioration. These problems arise due to limited access to water and sanitation facilities. Houay Champi is not covered with the existing solid waste collection system as it is too far from the city center. Liquid wastes is also a major concern, particularly in the rainy season where run-off from factories and business establishments flow directly to the rivers and streams. Water quality monitoring in selected sites found higher concentration of some water quality monitoring parameters (discussed below). Water quality deterioration due to agriculture and industry run off especially during rainy season. Several management issues contribute to this problem, including: • Lack of a comprehensive management system and plan for both solid and liquid wastes, not only for the sub-basin but for the province • Increasing number of tourists but without any existing management plan and mechanisms to reduce negative impacts of tourist activities on the environment. • Lack of proper drainage also results in poor water quality as sewage go directly to the rivers • Water quantity decreased due to forest cover in the upstream is decreased and water supply is increased and climate change impacts might be effected on the ecological system as well To ensure proper implementation of water management plan, hydrological data collection in the site needs to be conducted . For such reason, the GEF project is being proposed to: • support the formulation of development plans for both solid and liquid wastes in the province • support the development of tourism management plan for the province to ensure that the tourist activities will not have a negative impact on the environment in the province. • support hydrological data collection. At the district and village levels, the GEF support is being requested to: • continue to support the waste management initiatives previously done under pilot-scale implementation, at the same time, assisting the province and the districts in developing their waste management plans. The project will also initiate the development of a comprehensive tourist management plan for the province to improve tourist services and ensure that there will be negative impact on the environment. This will entail the following activities: • A waste management plan for the province/district should be developed to provide a strategic guide for provincial and district officials in terms of solid and liquid waste management. • Adding Pakse as one of the priority sites for the GEF project in terms of solid waste management and identifying a potential site for improving liquid waste, either in the city center or in the Houay Champi area • Expanding waste management in Houay Champi area to cover capacity building for villages on composting and recycling. Given that there is currently no waste collection services in the district, reducing the volume of wastes can be promoted through recycling and composting as we observed that much of the wastes are organic and recycling can be done in schools. Information and public awareness can be done at the provincial level to increase awareness on wastes and its impact on water bodies and consequently, health and livelihood. • Public awareness on waste management conducting at village level (Scoping Report of Champasack Province)
Water quality monitoring in priority rivers/coastal areas		X		Based on the results of the monitoring from January – July 2013, the following results from the DWR report indicated: 1. The range of pH in all 4 sampling sites is 6,2 - 8,41 which is under Lao surface water standard, pH at B. Vatluang (upstream) is relative low, 2. Temperature values constantly changed due to seasonal and elevation factors, with highest temperature measured during April 2013 at B. Champy. 3. Concentration of DO is quite similar to pH, the range is 4,16 - 8,63mg/L, it is considered normal for fresh water and good for aquatic life in the river. In comparison with other sites, DO concentration at B. Watluang is low because of low water quantity and water plants were blocked by sediments therefore, photosynthesis could not work properly. 4. Total Suspended Solid was very low during dry season; nevertheless the level is significantly higher during rainy season due to runoffs from sediments. 5. COD concentrations at 4 sites were low concentration during dry season but it was extremely high in rainy season, which may be caused by water runoff from various pollutant sources in the catchment area. However, BODs were low except for January in Tad E Tou which may be caused some human activities in upstream. 6. Most of heavy metal parameters were not detected in dry season, while heavy metals were not measured Currently, water quality monitoring results are not yet shared to provincial and district level officials. In order to effectively utilize the results, these will have to be shared with local officials so that appropriate interventions can be made. (Scoping Report Champasack Province)
Evidence of reduced pollutant discharges and water resource conservation, protection and use management		X		Currently, water quality monitoring results are not yet shared to provincial and district level officials. In order to effectively utilize the results, these will have to be shared with local officials so that appropriate interventions can be made. Proposed interventions under the GEF Project in addressing water quality deterioration • Strengthen the water quality monitoring capacity of the provinces in terms of data gathering, interpretation and use for management decision-making. This would entail continuous monitoring at least thrice a year to monitor water quality and quantity in selected sampling sites. The water quality monitoring should be expanded to cover not only the Houay Champi, but key sampling sites in the mainstream of Sedone such as those near the city center and commercial establishments. • Expanding the parameters to include bio-indicators. The DWR team believes that water quality monitoring using bio-indicators would be useful for communities, particularly in relating water quality and biodiversity. • Implement small scale waste treatment facility to reduce wastewater discharge directly to the rivers. Some small scale treatment facility have been installed in some parts in Vientiane and the applicability to some parts in Sedone/Houay Champi sub-basin will be determined. This will need to be further discussed with local authorities in relation to the results of the water quality monitoring. (Scoping Report Champasack Province)
Solid Waste Management
Household survey of solid waste generation, including waste management practices and willingness to pay for solid waste collection and management in priority site			X	• Pakse in Champasack Province was part of the sites surveyed for solid waste management in 2010. • Average waste generation per capita in Pakse was 0.59kg/day. • The top three waste compositions were food waste (24.42%), plastics (23.92%), and grass wood and leaf (17.44%). • Waste segregation practice at household level was at 62.3%. • 50% of those surveyed in Pakse were covered by waste collection services being provided by UDAA (Urban Development and Administration Authority) • 22.92% of those not being served by waste collection services burned their wastes • The willingness to pay (WTP) for most of the villages in Pakse for waste collection services ranged from 10001-15000 KIP and 20001-25000 KIP. Baseline Survey Report on Solid Waste Management in Sedone River, 2011
Assessment of feasibility of implementing solid waste management program			X	• The survey that was conducted in 2011 which covered 6 villages in Pakse District indicated 93.9% among respondents strongly agreed to the implementation of community based solid waste management program. Baseline Survey Report on Solid Waste Management in Sedone River, 2011
Recommendations/action plan to implement solid waste management program	X			• Solid waste management was implemented in the target 6 villages in Pakse District in the previous phase of the implementation of the Sedone Strategy. • Some of the constraints/problems during the initial phase of implementation are identified as follows. - Secondary collection operated by the UDAA is the key issues. All villages in Pakse are seriously complaining to the UDAA service. The collection service is generally provided 1 time per one or two week (s), thus every bin is full of waste. - Transfer stations are not set up due to there is not suitable place/ space in the project sites. Villagers, therefore, disposed and storage their waste into the waste small provided bins for one or two week(s) period thus resulted over capacity for storage. (Source: Solid Waste Management Report)
Evidence of improved solid waste management in the priority site	X			No information available.

Nutrient Management and Water Use Conservation:


	IN PLACE	SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION/ REMARKS
Household survey of water supply, use and sanitation conditions in coastal and watershed areas	X	• The main sources of water used for household consumption were wells, deep wells and natural rivers. Most of the respondents used deep wells. However, 84.21% of respondents in Champi village used water from the natural river. • Most of the respondents replied that they treated water before drinking, especially the respondents in Champi village, KM35 village and Banglieng village. 100% of respondents in these three villages treated water before drinking. Some of them did not treat water, which was 25.53% in Vatluang village, 26.09% in Nongkok village, 14.29% in Done village and 12.50% in KM28 village. • The water treatment methods applied in these seven villages was boiling, cloth strain, water filter, solar disinfection, sand and settle and others. Most of them treated water by boiling it before drinking. • Many respondents used toilets in each village. The dry toilets were used in Vatlung and Done villages. However, many of them did not have toilets in each village, for example 69.57% of respondents in Nongkok village did not have toilets. (Baseline Assessment Report)
Feasibility assessment of improved access to safe and secure water supply and improved sanitation through technologies, operations and good management practices	X	• Some good practices on the implementation of the Swiss Development Agency-supported Integrated Houay Champi River Sub-basin Management Project have been documented in ICM Solutions: Demonstrating Integrated River Basin Management at the Local Level in the Houay Champi Sub-Basin, Champasak Province, Lao PDR. • The five villages in Champasak Province that were surveyed in the Baseline Assessment Report have accessed to rural water supply system, also tube wells and wells are used for supplement sources of water during the dry season or in case the water supply system is not able to supply water. So far, the water from the system is still in good condition; no contamination is found. Most of villagers buy the drinking water from the factories. Some of villagers boiled water before drinking. However, the water quality need to be monitored regularly both surface and groundwater, because the chemical substances are potentially used for agricultural production and other activities. • In the past 3-5 years, water and sanitation, and clean water supply projects were implemented in these villages. These projects helped people to access to clean and safe water supply. However, rural water supply system in some villages has no treatment plants/ equipment. As such, villagers buy drinking water from the factories rather than drink water directly from the rural water supply systems. • In order to get strong support or involvement of the villagers to implement the project, villagers need to be involve from the beginning of the project. They should know what activities they should participate in; what can they benefit from and what can they contribute for the project. It means that the ownership the project activities need to be developed through different process of involvement of the local people. (Baseline Assessment Report of Sedone Riverbasin) • The GEF Project will build upon the experiences and successes of the Integrated Houay Champi River Sub-basin Management Project. The following proposed GEF interventions are targets for the near future: an assessment of the impacts/survival rate and contribution to improving water holding capacity in headwater area, the organization of water resources management volunteer group, water quality monitoring, the establishment and maintenance of a water resources management fund, and the established and supported water resources volunteer group (patrolling group). (Scoping Report Champasack Province)
Evidence of socio-economic and environmental benefits	X	• Some good practices, including socioeconomic and environmental benefits on the implementation of the Swiss Development Agency-supported Integrated Houay Champi River Sub-basin Management Project have been documented in ICM Solutions: Demonstrating Integrated River Basin Management at the Local Level in the Houay Champi Sub-Basin, Champasak Province, Lao PDR.

Photos

Laos

Search form