Job no: 562253
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Kabul
Level: Consultancy
Location: Afghanistan
Categories: WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene)
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.
Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.
How can you make a difference?
Provide technical support in organizing national consultations and developing plans for Integrated Water Resource Management.
In Afghanistan, a lack of groundwater resources’ qualitative and quantitative information exists due to poor data collection, storage, management, and sharing between both partners and Ministries. Since March 2005, DACAAR, with the financial support of USGS, DANIDA, Royal Norwegian Embassy (RNE), and UNICEF has selected, constructed, and modified 205 groundwater monitoring wells (GMW) in 19 provinces of Afghanistan (wherever security situation allowed) for seasonal and long-term groundwater (qualitative and quantitative) monitoring associated with their own water supply projects nationally. Most importantly, UNICEF has been instrumental in reorganizing the program. This network of monitoring boreholes. It has since been expanded to 375 boreholes in a total of 29 Provinces. The depth of these wells ranges between 12 to 65 m, with most drilled in the more recent Quaternary formation (shallow aquifer).
Similarly, the Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW) has also been collecting data for groundwater and surface water monitoring since 2008, through a large network of over 900 monitoring wells of which 260 are dedicated to monitoring, 270 surface water monitoring stations, and 30 meteorological stations. The hydrogeology department of MEW is responsible for this and established a platform that requires support for continuity.
However, based on extensive discussions with DACAAR, MEW, and other stakeholders, it transpired that groundwater monitoring stations consist of both pumped (for water supply) and monitoring boreholes. These may not be suitable for monitoring groundwater resources either because they were designed for pumping and/or their spatial extent is inadequate. Similarly, analysis is also needed for surface water monitoring data at a national level to understand the interaction between groundwater and surface water across the watersheds/aquifers
A national workshop is planned to be held in April 2023 involving various stakeholders to develop a shared vision and develop a roadmap for strengthening Ground and surface water monitoring leading to integrated water resource, and management for a sustainable and secure water system for the community For this reason, this ToR seeks to request a suitably qualified expert in integrated water resource management to assist in strengthening monitoring of groundwater and surface water including reporting and provide technical support in specific action plans for integrated water resource management.
Scope of Work, Deliverables
Task 1: Provide technical support in organizing key consultations of stakeholders including developing concept notes, agenda, and report of consultation workshop
This task will involve:
- Develop concept notes/agenda for the planned consultation meetings
- Provide technical input in the consultations
- Document the proceedings and prepare workshop/consultations report and road map for a collaborative national action plan for Ground Water and Surface Water Monitoring
Task 2: Provide technical support in the dissemination of data analytics
This task will involve:
- Develop design of dissemination workshops
- Provide technical input in the dissemination
- Document the proceedings and prepare a report
Task 3: Develop tools for periodic reporting on groundwater and surface water monitoring
This task will involve:
- Review existing monitoring and reporting tools (including indicators) in consultation with MEW and other stakeholders. This will also include coordinating and collecting the existing additional data that has not been accessed until the workshop.
- Develop /refine tools in consultation with key stakeholders
- Train key functionaries expected to use the tool and operationalize the use of tools
Task 4: Develop an action plan with budgets for integrated water resource management including conjunctive/multiple uses of groundwater and surface water
This task will involve:
- Hold consultations with key stakeholders
- Develop/draft an action plan for Integrated water resource management in a consultative manner
- Finalize the action plan for Integrated water resource management for at least two water basins/sub-basin identified as critical areas with a budget, and requisite technical information (design, layout)
KEY DELIVERABLES
The following is a summary of the key deliverables:
- Workshop report of Stakeholders consultations including Roadmap document in the national language
- and English
- At least 5 dissemination meetings (one in each water basin) were conducted and a set of data from other stakeholders as they exist
- Refined tools for monitoring and reporting groundwater and surface water resources and training package /training report
- Action plan for Integrated water resource management for at least two water basins/sub-basin identified as critical areas with a budget and requisite technical designs /layouts (draft and final version)
For more information please visit the official website of UNICEF
