Lao PDR is in the midst of relatively rapid economic growth and natural resource
development. Hydropower, mining and forestry are major areas of activity, while tourism,
agriculture and fisheries are also developing and changing. Urban areas are also growing as
population shifts and commercial and industrial development takes place. As a result there
are increasing pressures on the environment and an increasing need to manage natural
resources in a sustainable manner.
The country is generally rich in water resources. Total available surface water resources
(including the flow of the Mekong River and its tributaries) are 55,000 m3
on an annual per
capita basis, the highest in Asia. However, little of the national water supply has been
developed. Total storage capacity of large reservoirs is less than 3% of annual surface flow