Technical and Scientific Support for Groundwater Management in Laos

Under the Project for Promoting Climate Resilient Irrigation (PPRI) in Boualapha District, Lao PDR, IWMI serves as the Technical and Scientific Support Group, providing hydrogeological expertise to ensure that decentralized irrigation schemes using solar pumps are technically sound, economically viable and environmentally sustainable. PPRI aims to strengthen climate resilience, food security and rural incomes through responsible groundwater and surface water development.

IWMI is building the project’s evidence base by mapping water resources, supervising groundwater monitoring, assessing water quality, and preparing integrated irrigation potential maps. A groundwater monitoring network and structured solar irrigation database will generate baseline data, support adaptive management, and inform future scaling.

IWMI is also developing technical guidelines, supporting two solar irrigation demonstration schemes, and helping define beneficiary selection criteria aligned with groundwater sustainability. At national level, the project contributes to policy refinement, practical guidance and capacity building, thereby providing the groundwork for a scalable, data-driven model of climate-resilient groundwater irrigation in Lao PDR.