Vientiane (VNA) – Five days after theSepien-Senamnoi hydropower dam of Laos collapsed, triggering massive flooding, almost4,000 affected people have been moved to six evacuation centres in Sanamxaydistrict, Attapeu province.

These centres are straining to cope with an increasingnumber of the displaced villagers, putting local authorities on high alert foroutbreaks of diseases.

Dr Nguyen Thanh Cong, Deputy Director of the Hoang AnhGia Lai Medical University Hospital, together with a team of Vietnamese medicalworkers from the hospital, arrived in Laos just one day after the dam broke.

They have been staying at a temporary camp set up toaccommodate Lao people evacuated from 13 villages affected by the accident.Hundreds of these villagers have received health checkups from the team.

Thanks to concerted relief efforts between the Laogovernment and many international organisations, the supply of foods, cleanwater and other necessities for the survivors has been done quite well andbecome more stable, according to Cong.

But the most challenging issue at the moment is that therainy season has arrived in Laos. The mass gathering of the displaced villagersin the evacuation centres is posing a great medical challenge to the local authorities,the doctor explained, adding that these people are at high risk of contractingto communicable diseases like cholera and E.Coli infection.

Lao authorities have been well aware of the alarmingissue and in the past several days, a large number of doctors and nurses havebeen mobilized from across the country to keep an eye on high-risk spots inSanamxay and Paksong districts as well as villages where people weretemporarily evacuated to, Colonel Vanpheng Phuangsavadi from the GeneralLogistics Department of the Lao People’s Armed Forces told the Vietnam NewsAgency.

The Lao Ministry of Health and military forces have alsodeployed water filter trucks to provide clean water to the targeted people, setup mobile toilets and build more water tanks. Efforts have also put intocleaning up the environment, spraying mosquito repellent and sanitizingaffected areas, he noted.

According to the colonel, as of July 28, no case has beenreported with communicable diseases. However, Lao authorities have been readyfor any emergency. Medical workers have educated people on how to keep cleanand keep a close watch on any case suspected of catching infectious diseases.

The Sepien-Senamnoi hydroelectric power plant hasbeen constructed by the Sepien-Senamnoi Power Company (PNPC), which is ajoint-venture of SK Engineering and Construction (SK E&C), Korea WesternPower (KOWEPO), Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding (RATCH), and LaoHolding State Enterprise (LHSE). 

Construction of the project, which is estimated to cost 1.02 billion USD, beganin February 2013 and commercial operations were expected to begin this year.–VNA