Environment and natural resources

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Ministry of Industry and Commerce has revised the list of wood products approved for export so that Lao furniture makers can more easily sell their goods in local and overseas markets.The ministry has specified three main categories of wood product ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The Ministry of Energy and Mines and the World Bank on Thursday signed an Emission Reduction Purchase Agreement for the Lao Clean Cook Stove Initiative to support the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.The project will be complemented by carbon finance capacity ...

Pangolins are the world’s most trafficked mammalDozens of live pangolins smuggled from Laos have been discovered “dehydrated and weak” in a box on a bus in Vietnam.The Vietnamese police arrested the driver and his wife on suspicion of trafficking the animals from Laos, AFP reported ...

The Refill not Landfill campaign hopes to solve the problem of single-use plastic waste in southern Laos.It is estimated that more than 100 million disposable plastic water bottles are consumed by travelers to Laos each year. Most of them are not recycled, and in many parts of ...

The Republic of Korea will provide a grant of US$6.78 million to fund a wastewater and solid waste treatment capacity-building project for improved environmental management in Vientiane and Pakxe. The Korean government will provide grant aid of US$6.5 million, while an additional US$280,000 will come from ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) – The level of the Mekong River – the longest river in Southeast Asia – will increase gradually in the coming weeks after falling to a record rainy-season low that is affecting farmers and businesses.The Meteorology and Hydrology Department issued the forecast ...

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times) – The Mekong, one of the largest rivers in South East Asia, is experiencing a historically low level, and Vientiane residents whose livelihoods depend on the river are struggling to sustain their businesses.Mr Xaysana Bounyalath, who has been fishing in the river ...

Water levels in the Mekong River are now at the lowest point in a century as of July 19, lower than a record set in April 1973.South East Asia’s Stimson Centre claims that, based on recent satellite images, the drastic lowering of the water level ...

The Mekong River, which flows through Laos, is experiencing a record low water level amid deficient rainfall.In Vientiane, the water level of the Mekong is 0.7 meters, or 5.54 meters below its long-term average water level measured over 57 years (1961-2018). It is about 1.36 ...

Vientiane, Lao PDR, 18 July 2019 – The Mekong water levels during this early flood season from June to July are among the lowest on record, falling below their historical long-term minimum levels. But the situation is expected to get better at the end of ...