NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

When COVID-19 reached Lao People’s Democratic Republic in early 2020, the country faced a waste problem — the volume of hazardous waste from its response to the pandemic, including masks and other personal protective equipment, quadrupled from 0.5 kilograms to 2 kilograms on average per person per day.

But it also saw an opportunity. By then, the government and various sectors were years into efforts to shore up Lao PDR’s health system against climate impacts that were already making themselves felt — among them longer and lengthier dry periods that affect water quality and quantity, depriving rural healthcare facilities of water needed for adequate hygiene and sanitation for four to five months a year.

Photo courtesy of Jilbert Ebrahimi.