Irrigation infrastructure brings wave of change to Nongbualuang village

The rehabilitation of irrigation canal infrastructures and water ways has encouraged the community of Nongboualuang to grow more rice and crops in the dry season.

“We estimate that this irrigation project will be able to provide water to 300 hectares of land,” said Soda Souvannavong, Xounnabouly Project Manager, at the irrigation handover ceremony at Nongboualung village Xounnabouly district, Savannaket Province.

In September 2013, heavy rains caused flooding in 29 villages in Xonnabouly, affecting 2,766 families who live along the Xe river.

According to the UN report, there were more than 66,000 people affected from the floods and 24,341people are in the areas where World Vision works. Nongboualuang was among the most affected villages.

“The floods directly impacted household food security as people were unable to grow rice and other crops in the rainy season nor could they plant in the dry season, because there was not enough water,” said Mr. Khamphan Kounsacksy, the district party committee and the district governor of Xounnabouly, at the irrigation hand-over ceremony.

In response to the disaster, World Vision provided immediate relief assistance to the most affected families as well as long term rehabilitation support that focused on promoting cash crops growing in the dry season.

“To promote cash crops growing in the dry season, we needed to fix the community assets that were affected by the floods, especially irrigation infrastructures that were damaged,” Mr. Soda added at the hand-over ceremony. 

In 2014, World Vision Lao partnered with the World Food Programme, the Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation, and the National Rural Development and Poverty Eradication at the provincial and district level to assist Nongbouluang village in rebuilding their irrigation infrastructure, water canals and water ways.

The project implementation took eighteen months to complete, from construction, to testing, to becoming fully functional. In order to make sure every family would benefit from this project, World Vision installed an irrigation system that totaled 1,949,024,000LAK/$243,628USD.

With technical and financial support from World Vision, district and village authorities took the lead on setting up a committee that encouraged families to participate in this project. They were encouraged to help with slash, digging and installation the water pipes.

Sethorn’s family was among the 215 families who actively participated in this project.

“We were committed to work hard because we knew it would help our family have enough rice,” he says.  

The Food for Work approach was used to work with the community of Nongboualuang and 30,100 kilograms of rice were distributed to the 215 households who’s family members were working on the project. 

“By ensuring the community had enough rice to eat, we were able to rally people to start planning and looking for other sources of income,” Sengphet Pheunlagnhon, Food Security Project Coordinator, explained about the Food for Work project.

“People worked hard for the benefit of the entire village,” Mr. Khammai Dalavong, the village chief of Nongboualuang, adds.

“The irrigation infrastructure and system helps support our district’s implementation of the national plan of action on food security, seeing direct impact on MDG 1,” the district party committee Mr. Khamphan shared at the hand-over ceremony.

He also thanked World Vision Lao and the donors who worked hard to find ways to support the poverty eradication plan of action of Xounnabouly district.  

The positive collaboration among supporters, community, and World Vision led to project completion in October 2014. On Friday November 13, 2015 the official hand-over ceremony took place in the village of Nongboualuang. 

“Every family was very happy to see the irrigation infrastructure and water canal construction completed.  Villagers were able to prepare rice seeds and their land after just a few weeks of the pilot test,” Phitsamai, Food Security Committee member of Nongbualuang village, reported to the crowd with a smile.  

“This is a great project because it tackles long term food shortages in the district and encourages social economic development. In just the first year, people in the village were able to harvest up to 215 hectares of rice. We will work to empower the irrigation committee so they can continue to maintain the project and expand rice and crop planting in the dry season,” says Sonephet Keovongsa, District Rural Development and Poverty Eradication, who works alongside World Vision staff in Xounnabouly district.  On average, 4,470 kilograms of rice/hectare can be harvested, a 40% increase from when the village didn’t have an irrigation system.

Mr. Junus David, the Operations Director of World Vision Lao, requested the district, village authorities and community to take ownership of this asset and maintain it properly. It is World Vision’s hope that the irrigation system can help farmers produce more crops, which contribute to the economic development of the village. Eventually, World Vision would like to see children live a healthier life and go to school as a result of this project.

Food for Work projects were integrated in the World Vision program development in 7 villages in Xonnabouly. People from these villages participated fixed 22.6 kilometers of accessible road and 30 m2 of wooden bridges, maintained 5.5 kilometers of water canals and created 2.4 kilometers of new water ways. Nonetheless, since 2008 World Vision Lao has been working on maternal and child health, education, food security and child protection in the district of Xonnabouly.