From 26 August to 24 September 2026, the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center(FECO) of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment / Lancang-Mekong Environmental Cooperation Center dispatched an expert team to the Lao PDR to carry out the fourth on-site mission under the Environmental Protection Planning and Engineering Technical Assistance Project for Lao PDR. The mission focused on water environment management, air pollution prevention and control, pilot demonstration activities, and capacity building, with a series of field investigations and technical exchanges conducted during the visit.
The expert team visited the wastewater treatment facilities of Pepsi Lao, major urban wastewater discharge outlets flowing into the Mekong River in Vientiane, and an urban wetland park, gaining a better understanding of local wastewater treatment practices and water environment management. Based on the field investigations and information collected during earlier stages of the project, the team held discussions with the Biotechnology and Ecology Institute (BEI) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of the Lao PDR on key issues including optimization of the surface water quality monitoring network, wastewater treatment, and water environment management. The two sides reviewed Lao PDR’s practical needs and developed outlines for the Surface Water Quality Monitoring Network Optimization Plan and the Vientiane Wastewater Treatment Facility Scale and Process Plan. They also jointly worked to further improve the Environmental Capacity Building Needs Assessment Report, drawing on the results of previous questionnaire surveys and on-site consultations.
With regard to pilot demonstration activities, the expert team conducted field investigations on the domestic wastewater treatment demonstration project in Luang Prabang Province. Discussions were held with the Luang Prabang Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment and Souphanouvong University on treatment capacity, technical processes, facility layout, and operation and maintenance conditions, further clarifying the technical approach for the demonstration project. During the mission, the expert team also drew on the results of previous mobile monitoring of air pollution to conduct research on technical approaches for establishing an air pollution prevention and control system.

The expert team also organized environmental management capacity-building activities in Vientiane, delivering thematic training on water pollution prevention and control, heavy-metal pollution management in the water environment, biodiversity conservation, and compliance management related to ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The training shared China’s practical experience in environmental governance and implementation of international environmental conventions, and helped strengthen Lao participants’ understanding and practical application of environmental management and convention compliance.

The fourth on-site mission helped advance the project from the preliminary situation-assessment stage toward the preparation of planning outputs. It further clarified the overall approach and follow-up arrangements for key deliverables, including the Surface Water Quality Monitoring Network Optimization Plan, the Vientiane Wastewater Treatment Facility Scale and Process Plan, and the Environmental Capacity Building Needs Assessment Report. Going forward, the project team will continue to advance the preparation of relevant technical outputs and the implementation of pilot demonstration and capacity-building activities, taking into account feedback and practical needs from the Lao side.