Vat Phou World Heritage Site

CHAMPASAK | LAO PDR

HYDEA was commissioned by the local authorities to carry out a review of the feasibility study, identifying a series of technical alternatives (to be developed at the preliminary design level), which would, on one hand, ensure adequate supplies of drinking water, and on the other hand, the conservation of the integrity of the UNESCO site.
The selected alternative underwent an Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), conducted according to the indications from UNESCO and in compliance with the 2011 ICOMOS guidelines.

The province of Champasak, located on the banks of the Mekong, in the south-western part of Laos, holds the extraordinary monumental complex of Vat Phou and is a well-preserved example of a cultural landscape of considerable historical importance, which dates back over 1000 years. In 2001 the site was inscribed by UNESCO on the World Heritage list.
Currently, the site and the surrounding areas suffer the pressures typical of developing environments: demographic growth, insufficient infrastructures and inefficient services. The Local Authorities have been emphasising for some time that access to clean drinking water is an absolute priority for the locals, as, in the meantime, they are using inadequate and unsanitary supplies.

From – To
2017 – 2018

Client
Vat Phou WHSO

Funding
AFD-Agence Française de Développement