Last week, Vientiane Capital experienced the highest water level in over forty years, with the Mekong River rising at 13.68 meters well over the danger level of 12.5 meters. Road number 13 North and South - the major travel routes in the country -were under water causing traffic difficulties and travel delays. Other parts of Laos including Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Borikhamsay, and Khammuane provinces were severely damaged by floods affecting villagers, agriculture and livestock.
The degree of seriousness varies in each province but most serious damaged was on plantation, livestock, and infrastructure-not only costing in monetary terms, but the well beings of the villagers. Borikhamsay province is the worst affected-with 13 041 hectares of paddy fields inundated with flood water. Seemingly, Vientiane province is the worst affected province in the country where all five districts damaged by flood. Distributions of aid to 500 families who are victims of the flood were hampered by 35 roads under water-hence, leaving families with inadequate food and clean water. As for Luangprabang, the World heritage site in Laos-and a main tourist attraction-has also been effected, leaving one hundred families without electricity after the Mekong River burst its banks on August 14.  | | Houses along the Mekong Rivers have been the most effected by the increase of water level |
Vientiane spirit is stronger than the Mekong River Good news though, Vientiane Capital was able to prevent what was the high potential of the entire city being flooded, thanks to the proactive action of the Lao community-government, private sectors, and individuals from different part of Vientiane, including the World Bank staff. One World Bank staff, Mr. Khongthanou Khanthavixay shares his views that, "I have learned more on nationalism and solidarity of Lao people contributing to the million sandbags to prevent the flooding from the Mekong River". Constant rain could not dampen the spirits of volunteers who worked day and night building these walls, as they recognized the danger of the flood and the threat it posed to people and infrastructure in the city, including important offices and buildings. "My house is safe, but how could I sleep if my neighbors were at risk?" said one Vientiane resident, explaining why he was volunteering in the sandbagging effort even if his house had not been yet affected by the floods. For many Vientiane residents, this was the first time they had encountered a natural disaster and many expressed satisfaction and a sense of pride that such a large crowd had come together to help in preventing the flooding from spreading.
The World Bank Group fights against flooding… Apart from the donations to help the flood victims, people from all walks of life contributed their vigorous efforts, labor, and time to build and distribute more than two million sandbags to prevent Vientiane from flooding. As for the World Bank Group, many of our staff from different sectors also contributed, including the ACS as well as support staff. In the afternoons and after work hours, the teams were picked up and dropped off at sand-bagging points. The staff allocated tasks so that sandbagging process was done effectively. Despite of the hot and humid weather, staff expressed the joy in this 'sandbagging activity'. Mr. Soulivong Chanthalangy, IT Specialist voiced that "Although the activity was supposed to be tiring, it was rather fun instead with everybody working together in sandbagging". Moreover many of our staff contributed their own funds to the sandbagging effort. The highlight though, was the cooperation and the extra efforts put into sandbagging for three consecutive days.  | | Staff from the WBG Vientiane joined with staff from Ministry of Finance in sand-bagging effort under the hot weather |
The excitement, fear, and other feelings were also shared by our World Bank staff. With several of our staffs directly affected by the flood, efforts from the whole team went into remedying their situation as well as helping others to ensure they were prepared in case the flooding spread. The team had to pump water out of the houses the first day of flooding, and electrical equipments and other important belongings had to be evacuated from the houses of some affected colleagues. Though difficulties were faced, the team felt the environment where everyone helped one another, immensely eased the tension and excitement. Preventive measures were taken to ensure the impacts of the flooding were limited and that all our staffs were prepared in case the flood spread. A detailed topographic map of the city was procured and every staff member identified the location of their house so that our team could assess their risk level and also "rescue" strategies in case anyone became stranded. Everyone, from our ACS and senior staff to drivers and cleaners, came together to ensure we were all prepared. Health training was also provided by our Health Specialist and the Ministry of Health to ensure we all had the necessary information to prevent diseases that could arise. Working around the clock to expedite and mobilize funds While some of us were busy sandbagging, our PREM and Procurement teams worked diligently for a number of days to expedite the disbursement of fund of the recently-approved Poverty Reduction Support Operation (PRSO). As funds were to be disbursed in October, at the time of the new Lao budget, the Government was in vital need of additional funds to help cope with the emergency, so these funds - almost US$10 million - provided much needed relief.  | | Australian Ambassador and World Bank Country Manager pledges fund to the Lao Minister of Public Works and Transport |
Moreover, in just a couple of days, additional financing was received from the Australian Government to the World Bank financed Road Maintenance Program Phase 2, with US$150,000 used to cover sandbagging-associated costs. In the coming weeks, the World Bank will also be supporting the Government's efforts in carrying out a needs, damage and loss assessment through the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. "The quick and urgent response that the WB management took was very impressive. This has never happened before. This can be taken as a team's achievement, everyone from top-down working towards the same purpose which is to respond to the government's request for urgent assistance. It was to make the impossible 'possible' because we had received high attention from management, there were many exceptions in making this happen" says Ms. Malarak Souksavat, one of the Financial Management support team who assisted the country team to expedite the disbursement process. For many staff at the World Bank, it was our first experience of such a dramatic increase of water level, and much unexpected indeed. Despite all the excitement mixed with feelings of fear, many of us thought this event was important in terms of bringing the whole World Bank Group together-working to protect ourselves and others against the flood, as well as working with external partners. Overall, not only was this a first and unexpected event for many people, but it was a meaningful and unforgettable experience. Furthermore, this first time will also be a lesson for events in the future; more rain is expected in September which could be even more severe. Just as the city will be prepared with sandbags, our spirit will be prepared knowing that "teamwork" plays such an important role in these critical events. Useful Links
MRC: www.mrcmekong.org/
WB Lao PDR: Strong Rains Cause Big Flooding in Vientiane |
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