Study on real-time environmental monitoring using IoT sensors on assessing water quality anthropogenic impacts and seasonal dynamics (case study: Urban area and Souphanouvong University), Luang Prabang City, Luang Prabang Province, Lao PDR

As Luang Prabang experiences rapid socio-economic growth, the resulting intensification of urban land use has placed significant pressure on the city’s water resources. This study addresses the urgent need for continuous water quality monitoring by deploying an Internet of Things (IoT)-based sensor network across five sites, including the historic Pond No. 70 and Souphanouvong University. Over four months, January–April, we monitored key parameters: temperature, depth, electrical conductivity (EC), and turbidity, to evaluate the impact of residential and institutional wastewater runoff. Our findings reveal that all monitored sites consistently exceeded the national turbidity standard of 30 NTU, with averages ranging between 43.6 NTU and 50.46 NTU. Seasonal transitions to summer, March–April, exacerbated these conditions, as high temperatures peaking at 37.65^°C and reduced water volume triggered increased sediment resuspension and thermal agitation. While EC levels remained within safe thresholds, the data confirm that urban drainage infrastructure is currently overwhelmed by sediment and untreated domestic effluent. Our research demonstrates that Pond No. 70 acts as a critical, albeit overloaded, natural drainage sink. The successful deployment of low-cost, real-time IoT nodes provides a scalable diagnostic tool for municipal planning, proving superior to traditional intermittent sampling. These results offer actionable insights into implementing Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and support Luang Prabang’s strategic vision of becoming a Green Smart City through evidence-based environmental management.