What happens when wastewater infrastructure is built faster than its operation can be managed?
This question was discussed by 35 representatives from ministries and development partners, including the Global Green Growth Institute, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank Group, and the Asian Development Bank, in Vientiane on 5 December 2025.
In Lao PDR, water supply services are relatively well developed, yet safe wastewater management remains a challenge. Despite increased policy attention and investment, local capacity to implement, operate, and monitor systems often lags at institutional and human resource levels.
On this basis, URBANWaters Consulting GmbH organized, together with the Lao Ministry of Health (MoH), the Public Works Training Institute (PTI), and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN), a one-day conference entitled “Strengthening Institutional and Human Resource Capacity for Safe and Climate-Resilient Management of Wastewater in Healthcare Facilities and Municipalities”
The conference built on previous and ongoing initiatives to improve wastewater management in hospitals and municipalities, as well as on the collaboration with the Public Works Training Institute (PTI). It provided a platform to share and discuss:
- The ongoing HEALTH Project
- The MoH Medical Wastewater Management Guideline developed with World Bank Group support in 2023
- Practical challenges related to implementing, operating, and monitoring wastewater infrastructure
- PTI as a potential national training body for wastewater and sanitation
- Project synergies to strengthen institutional and human resource capacity alongside infrastructure development
A panel discussion moderated by Ms. Sophavanh Thitsy from the World Bank Group explored how collaboration between ministries, training institutes, and implementation projects can be strengthened beyond construction phases.
The key message was clear: wastewater infrastructure alone is not sufficient. Long-term performance depends on whether implementation capacity, trained personnel, and institutional responsibilities keep pace with construction.
URBANWaters thanks the Ministry of Health, PTI, BMUKN, and Ms. Sophavanh Thitsy for their collaboration and contributions.
