ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN LAOS: WATER, FIRES, DAMS, MINING

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN LAOS

On February 24, 2020, the NOAA-20 satellite observed smoke plumes from fires burning in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar; Most blazes are likely agricultural fires that farmers intentionally set to clear land, though some are ignited by weather events such as lightning, burning surface debris, dry brush, and grasses; Others may also be accidentally lit by discarded cigarettes, sparks, or faulty electrical systems; The region’s fire season runs from January through March, but can extend as late as May; the annual wildfire season is a natural part of the ecology of the area, which is mainly deciduous forests; However, the “the vast majority of fires are set by people;” “Many fires are from slash-and-burn agriculture, hunting, foraging, and resin collection, but land clearing on concessions is the key factor”, NOAA

Environmental issues in Laos include unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; water pollution; limited access to potable water. [Source: CIA World Factbook]

Laos doesn’t really have much problems with pollution—other than smoke from slash and burn agriculture fires and some ill effects from mining—as there are few people and relatively little industry in Laos. Environmental problems in Laos include deforestation, the effects of dam construction, the use of explosives to catch fish, and poaching of wild animals. Efforts to tackle these problems have been disrupted by corruption, lack cooperation and a lack of will.

Many of Laos’s environmental problems are related to deforestation. Expanding commercial exploitation of the forests, plans for additional hydroelectric facilities, foreign demand for wild animals and nonwood forest products for food and traditional medicines, and a growing population put increasing pressure on the forests.

The Laos government has sought to control erosion by discouraging traditional slash-and-burn agriculture practiced by many mountain tribes, and by resettling the tribes in permanent villages. Conservation in Laos faces obstacles from increased interest in mining, hydropower and timber. The strongly centralized approach to conservation—Laos is a Communist country—may spawn animosity toward conservation efforts at a local level if initiatives fail to account for local needs.

International environmental agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling. [Source: CIA World Factbook]

Laos Environmental Rankings and Statistics

WHO

Laos ranked last out of 177 countries in the 2026 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), with an overall score of 21.8 out of 100, compared to top-ranked Estonia, with a score of 74.79. Vietnam was in last place out 180 countries in 2024. The EPI ranks countries on the basis of things like maintaining and improving air and water quality, maximizing biodiversity and cooperating with other countries on environmental problems. Prepared by researchers at Yale and Columbia in cooperation with the World Economic Forum, it is based on 47 indicators across 12 issue categories, including the number of children with respiratory diseases, fertility rates, water quality, overfishing, emissions of greenhouses gases, and the export of sulfur dioxide, a key component of acid rain. [Source: Environmental Performance Index epi.yale.edu ]

Laos scored 58.8 points out of 100 on the Happy Planet Index and ranked 13th out of the 147 evaluated countries. Compiled by the British think-tank New Economics Foundation, It measures people’s well-being and their impact on the environment through data on life satisfaction, life expectancy and the amount of land required to sustain the population and absorb its energy consumption.. happyplanetindex.org/countries]

Land use: agricultural land: 9.9 percent (2023 estimate); arable land: 5.3 percent (2023 estimate); permanent crops: 1.7 percent (2023 estimate); permanent pasture: 2.9 percent (2023 estimate); forest: 56.8 percent (2023 estimate); other: 33.3 percent (2023 estimate). Arable land is land cultivated for crops like wheat, maize, and rice that are replanted after each harvest. Permanent crops is land cultivated for crops like fruit trees oranges that are not replanted after each harvest. Urbanization: urban population: 38.2 percent of total population (2023); rate of urbanization: 2.99 percent annual rate of change (2020-25 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook]

Waste and recycling: municipal solid waste generated annually: 351,900 tons (2024 estimate); percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 15.1 percent (2022 estimate).

Why Was Laos Last in the 2026 Environmental Performance Index

Laos ranked last out of 177 countries in the 2026 Environmental Performance Index because it struggles across three main areas: nature protection, public health, and climate action. First, the country has lost significant forest cover and natural habitats over recent years. Weak protections for local wildlife and declining forest health in key ecological areas have heavily damaged its overall biodiversity score.

Second, rapid growth in industrial projects and natural resource extraction—paired with a lack of proper waste management and clean water infrastructure—has created serious public health risks. Pollution levels in the air and water continue to drag down its environmental health scores.

Finally, Laos falls behind global standards when it comes to switching to cleaner energy and creating enforceable rules to curb pollution. Without strong policies to reduce emissions and protect natural resources, the country received the lowest overall score in the global evaluation.

Protected Areas and Environmentalism in Laos

Protected and proposed protected areas in Lao PDR Researchgate

Laos has a surprisingly large are aextensive environmental protection program. In 1993, in an effort to protect the country's species richness, the Lao government established 18 National Biodiversity Conservation Areas (NBCAs), which cover about 24,600 square kilometers, or about 10 percent of the country. Two more NBCA were added in 1995. Most of them are in southern Laos. They include one known as Nakai Nam Theum National Biodiversity Area in the mountainous border area near Vietnam. During the 1990s researchers in this protected area discovered a new genus of cattle-like mammal along with two deer-like species.

The conservation areas are not technically preserves, but rather managed environmental zones. Some are designated for forestry, while others are earmarked for conservation. The latter are particularly important to the growing tourism industry. Despite fairly substantial laws protecting the areas, illegal logging within their boundaries is increasing. The problem is exacerbated by further development of the Mekong River for hydroelectric power, as large swaths of forest are cut down to make way for facilities and roads connecting towns to the power grid. Slash-and-burn agriculture on the edges of forests also threatens the environmental balance. Nevertheless, most people in Laos still rely on the forest for food rather than farms. Many environmental experts fear that this dependency will eventually destroy ecological systems. [Source: “Culture and Customs of Laos” by Arne Kislenko, Greenwood Press, 2009]

Overfishing of lakes and rivers, as well as the illicit international trade of wildlife are problems. So too is rampant government corruption, a weak judicial system, and a lack of environmental awareness throughout the country. For instance, Laos has yet to ratify the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and it does little to educate the public about environmental issues. Furthermore, the environmental effects of the Vietnam War era remain unclear. Large areas of northern and eastern Laos were damaged by herbicides and chemical defoliants used extensively by American forces for nearly twenty years. Although tourism may be the best tool for protecting Laos's flora and fauna, its effects thus far have been negligible. In fact, over the past few years, the Lao government has yielded to developers, allowing large-scale resorts, hotels, and even casinos aimed at prospective tourists.

Sanitation
Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services: 71 percent
Proportion of population using basic sanitation services: 17 percent
Proportion of population using at least basic sanitation services: 89 percent
Proportion of population using limited sanitation services: 3 percent
[Source: UNICEF DATA data.unicef.org]

Water in Laos

of main sources of water in Laos Researchgate

Much of the population of Laos does not have access to potable water. During the 2000s, Laos had about 190 cubic kilometers (45.6 cubic miles) of renewable water resources, with 82 percent used for agriculture and 10 percent for industrial purposes. Only about 66 percent of urban residents and 38 percent of rural residents had access to safe drinking water. The country's water supply was under increasing pressure from forest loss, uncontrolled agricultural practices, flooding and drought. Pollution from fires, dust and vehicles was also becoming a national environmental problem. [Source: Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations, Thomson Gale, 2007]

Total renewable water resources: 333.5 billion cubic meters (2022 estimate). Total water withdrawal: municipal: 130 million cubic meters (2022 estimate); industrial: 170 million cubic meters (2022 estimate); agricultural: 7.05 billion cubic meters (2022 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook]

Drinking water
Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services: 35 percent
Proportion of population using basic drinking water services: 61 percent
Proportion of population using at least basic drinking water services: 96 percent
Proportion of population using limited drinking water services: 0 percent
Proportion of population using unimproved drinking water sources: 4 percent
Proportion of population using surface water: 0 percent
[Source: UNICEF DATA data.unicef.org]

Air Pollution in Laos

Mich of the air pollution in Laos is caused by fires from slash and burn agriculture (See Below). Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia recorded significant declines in PM2.5 in 2015, partly because wetter and windier conditions associated with La Niña helped disperse pollution. [Source: Al Jazeera, Reuters, March 24 2026]

Carbon dioxide emissions: 23.412 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 estimate); from coal and metallurgical coke: 19.652 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 estimate); from petroleum and other liquids: 3.76 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook]

Particulate matter emissions: 20.5 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook]

Fires and Slash and Burn Agriculture

During the dry season there are so many slash and burn fires in the Laotian hills that weather satellites can easily observes the clouds of smoke produced by the thousands, maybe tens of thousands of fires. Poor peasant farmers farmers that live in the hills usually raise crops on a small patches of land for three or four years until the soil's fertility is depleted. They then move on to another patch of land, which they clear by setting fires. This kind of farming is known as slash and burn agriculture or swidden. [Source: Peter White, National Geographic, June 1987]

On average over 400 square miles of forest are slashed and burned in Laos every year. Conservationists have estimated that the amount of timber lost on each acre is often worth twenty times the value of the rice grown on it. Fires are also set by hunters to flush out game. In an effort to slow deforestation the government is attempting to relocate hill tribe slash and burn agriculturists to lower elevations near water supplies. Many hill tribes are resisting the move.

Swidden agriculture is highly destructive to the forest environment, because it entails shifting from old to new plots of land to allow exhausted soil to rejuvenate, a process that is estimated to require at least four to six years. The extent of destruction, however, depends on the techniques used by the farmers and the overall demographic and environmental circumstances that relate to the length of the fallow period between farming cycles.

Declining Aquatic Life and Dead Fish Near Vientiane Blamed on Banana Plantations

Residents of Kua village in Sangthong district, Vientiane, said fish and other aquatic life in the Ton River had declined since the Chinese-owned Yongzhen Import-Export Production Promotion Company began growing bananas in the area in 2014. More than 300 families in Kua village depend mainly on agriculture and livestock, while fishing provides food and additional income. The Ton River is also used by local residents for drinking, bathing and washing and provides water for animals living in the area. [Source: Xayxana Leukai, February 12, 2019]

Thongvanh, a 70-year-old villager, said he had once been able to catch large quantities of fish from the river. Before the banana plantations were established, he could catch between 2 and 5 kilograms (4.4 and 11 pounds) of fish a day during the wet season. Fish sold for 20,000 to 25,000 kip per kilogram (2.2 pounds), depending on the species. He said fishing had previously provided both food for his family and between 40,000 and 125,000 kip in daily income.

The Yongzhen company also grew sweetcorn and other crops and operated about 160 hectares (1.6 square kilometers; 0.6 square miles) of plantations. It hired villagers for activities such as planting, weeding and watering, but residents said most of the employment was temporary and occurred mainly when new banana trees were planted. The plantation therefore provided some local employment but did not offer work throughout the year.

In November 2018, about 300 kilograms (661 pounds) of fish were found floating dead near the plantation. Villagers and local authorities suspected that chemicals from the plantation had leaked into the Ton River. Some shrimp and snails were also reportedly killed. Thongvanh said he had never previously seen fish die in the river because of chemical residue from banana plantations. Some villagers initially collected the dead fish to sell at markets. Village authorities subsequently warned residents that the fish had died from toxic chemicals and told them not to eat or sell them.

Environmental Impact of Mining and Dams in Laos

With the prospect of expanded mining operations in Laos, there is considerable concern over the environmental impact. Clear-cutting and the use of chemicals, especially mercury and cyanide, can cause severe ecological damage. Mining also exposes previously buried metal sulfides to atmospheric oxygen, causing their conversion to sulfuric acid and metal oxides, which run off into local waterways. Oxides tend to be more soluble in water and contaminate local rivers with heavy metals, affecting human populations and wildlife. In the short term, the financial opportunities presented by mining overwhelm the potential ecological effects. For example, at peak production, a $330-million operation run by Australia-owned Oxiana should yield as much as $15 million in royalties and taxes for Laos—a significant sum in Laos. [Source: Mongabay.com \~]

Laos has over 60,000 cubic meters or renewable water resources, and with its small population more hydroelectric potential per capita than any nation in Asia. Most Laotian dams are on tributaries of the Mekong River. Half the Mekong River’s hydroelectric potential lies within Laos. Much of the electricity produced by Laotian dams is exported to Thailand on power lines over the Mekong River and is a major source income for the Laos government. Three quarters of the $5 billion pledged between 1988 and 1996 by foreign investors to Laos went to hydroelectric projects to supply Thailand with energy.

Nam Ngum Dam is a large dam built outside Vientiane built with the help of Japan, West Germany, India, Switzerland, OPEC and the World Bank. It has five generators and produces 150 megawatts of electricity. When it began operation in the 1980s, Laos only needed 30 megawatts, or 20 percent of the power generated by the dam , to run its dozen or so factories. The remaining 80 percent of the power was exported to Thailand. At the time, Thais paid $30 million for the power which was half of Laos's hard currency income. [Source: Peter White, National Geographic, June 1987]

The $260 million Theun-Hiboun dam in the mountains of central Laos is the largest hydro-electric project completed thus far in Laos. Finished in 1998, it is located just upriver from where the Theun River joins the Kading River and accounts for two thirds of Laos’s power exports. The dam however has disputed fish migration patterns and fishermen complain they catch much fewer fish now than before the dam was built.

Disappearance of Environmentalist in Laos

Sombath Somphone, a 60-year-old Lao development worker and social activist, disappeared in Vientiane on December 15, 2012. He was last seen driving his old jeep after being stopped by traffic police. Closed-circuit television footage showed his vehicle being stopped at a police checkpoint and Sombath being taken away in a white vehicle. The footage raised concerns that Lao authorities had detained him, although the government denied involvement and said he might have been kidnapped because of a personal or business dispute. Authorities said they were investigating but provided little information about the case. [Source: Thomas Fuller, New York Times, January 10, 2013; mongabay.com, December 23, 2012]

Sombath was a prominent figure in Laos's development and nonprofit sector. He was trained in agriculture in the United States and founded the Participatory Development Training Center, which became one of the country's leading nonprofit organizations. His work promoted sustainable development, education, environmental protection and programs for poor communities. In 2005, he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership for his social and environmental work.

His development programs included promoting fuel-efficient stoves, locally produced organic fertilizer, improved processing and marketing methods for small businesses, garbage recycling and educational activities for young people. He also remained involved with nonprofit organizations after retiring from his organization in 2011. Sombath was generally regarded as nonconfrontational and was known for working with the Lao government rather than directly opposing it. His disappearance therefore surprised his family, friends and the wider network of aid workers who knew him.

The reason for his disappearance was never established in the reports available at the time. Some observers suspected that his prominent role in the Asian-Europe People's Forum may have made him a target. The forum raised issues such as environmental protection and fair land use for small farmers, subjects that sometimes conflicted with the government's emphasis on rapid economic development. Some observers believed that Sombath's disappearance could have been intended as a warning to other nongovernmental organizations not to challenge government policies. His education and connections in the United States may also have caused suspicion among some officials, although there was no evidence that he posed a direct threat to the government.

There was a precedent for a politically sensitive disappearance in Laos. In 2007, Sompawn Khantisouk, an ecotourism operator who had criticized Chinese-owned plantations in northern Laos, disappeared and was never seen again. In Sombath's case, security-camera footage showing his detention became an important piece of evidence, but Lao authorities did not provide a full public account of what happened afterward. His wife and international supporters continued to seek information about his whereabouts, while U.S. officials and human-rights organizations pressed the Lao government for answers. The available reports did not establish whether Sombath was alive, killed, or being held by authorities.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Laos-Guide-999.com,, “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 5: East/Southeast Asia:” edited by Paul Hockings, 1993; CIA World Factbook, National Geographic, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Encyclopedia.com, Library of Congress, Live Science, The Conversation, The New Yorker, Time, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Google AI, Wikipedia, The Guardian and various websites, books and other publications.

Last updated September 2026