Laos asks for 1.12 trillion kip for post-flood infrastructure restoration
By Soulaphone Kanyaphim
(KPL) Government officials representing Ministries of Planning and Investment, Foreign Affairs and Labour and Social Welfare met representatives of NGOs, international organisations, and international community expressing the government needs as much as 1.12 trillion kip (approx USD141 million) for the restoration of basic infrastructure destroyed and damaged in flooding caused by two typhoons Haima and Nockten.
The meeting saw the presence of Minister of Planning and Investment, Mr. Somdy Douangdy.
Typhoons Haima on 24-25 June and Noktan on 30 July-1 August affected 82,493 families in 12 provinces nationwide.
The Haima hit the northern and central provinces Sayaboury, Xiengkhouang, Vientiane and Bolikhamsay. Nock-Ten hit central and southern provinces Vientiane,
Bolikhamxay, Khammouane, Savannakhet, and Champassak.
They brought heavy rains, which had caused the rise of water levels in many rivers including Mekong. As a result, many provinces
had been significantly affected by floods and landslides. The worst flooding in decades swept away houses and rice barns and damaged thousands of hectares of farmland, livestock, many schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, water supply systems, electricity networks and other infrastructure in those provinces.
Since June 24, 2011, flooding has killed at least 27 people, the total cost of damage is huge and thousands of people affected.
Vientiane province is the most hard-hit province. The damage cost of the agriculture sector in the province is estimated at 100 billion kip. Meanwhile five of nine districts in Xiengkhouang have been affected by the storm. Houses, roads, electricity and telecommunication systems have been heavily damaged.
A majority of our lao people (Not all) still don't know how the current or previous government ran the country. the present government run the country by foriegn aid pretty much. and the past government (Royal lao Government) also ran the country by stay on American payroll... and Nobody in the country knew exactly how much our GDP do we have earn or how much money we have at the Central Bank ? or How much the lower, midle or upper classes pay the taxes ?
