Following the collapse of a section of a hydropower dam in Laos on 23 July, at least 19 people are now thought to have died, 131 people are missing and 6,630 people displaced and staying in shelters, according to UN figures.
The Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam under construction in Sanamxay District of Attapeu province, collapsed on Monday, 23 July 2018, releasing five billion cubic meters of water and causing the largest flooding the country has witnessed in the past ten years, according to the United Nations.
Flooding from the dam collapse has affected 16,256 people in 13 villages in Attapeu province. The UN reported that 243 houses, 14 bridges and several roads have been damaged.
The government has declared the Samanxay District in Attapeu Province as a Disaster Area as the search continues for those still missing. Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said on 29 July, “We will do our utmost in the search mission until all bodies are recovered. This is the policy of the government as well as those teams working in the affected area.”
On announcing aid and relief for affected families, the EU’s European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) said that the tragedy has disrupted the livelihoods and well-being of the local communities and will have long-term socio-economic impacts.
In similar circumstances, another hydropower dam also under construction threatened to collapsed in Colombia in May this year. Over 25,000 people were evacuated as the Hidroituango Dam in Antioquia department threatened to collapse. At one point as many as 130,000 people living along the Cauca river were thought to be in danger.
10 Provinces Affected by Storm ‘Son Tinh’
The Government of Lao reported flooding elsewhere in the country between 18 and 25 July after heavy rainfall from Tropical Cyclone Son Tinh.
ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management, quoting Laos government sources, said that flooding had affected 349 villages in 41 districts in the provinces of Attapeu, Savanhnakhet, Khammouan, Xayabuly, Bolikhamsay, Luang Prabang, Bokeo, Sekong, Xiengkhouang and Oudomxay.
