Water and Sustainability Expert

CTG (Committed To Good)

Technical: Imbalanced utilization of surface water and groundwater in the Tuban catchment, driven by climate change and unsustainable practices, compounded by weak water governance.

• Operational: Reduced effectiveness of institutions and community structures in implementing IWRM principles.
• Financial: Lack of financial resources within institutions and community structures to support IWRM principles.

Additionally, the consultant will support the international consultant in developing a detailed Sustainability Plan for the IWRM-ERA project, ensuring the continued functionality and impact of water infrastructure, agricultural value-added initiatives, and local water governance mechanisms beyond the project s lifespan.

The sustainability plan will act as a strategy that details how the IWRM-ERA project will continue to operate and generate lasting benefits after the project period ends. It will serve as a roadmap, outlining financial, social, and institutional strategies to ensure the project's longevity, demonstrating to donors that their investment will have a long-term impact.

The consultant will focus on all project components, outputs, and key activities, including but not limited to

• Ensuring the operation and maintenance (O&M) of rehabilitated irrigation infrastructure and water monitoring systems. This includes assessing the functionality, utilization, and maintenance of in-kind support and assets provided to Water User Associations (WUAs) and government water-related institutions.
• Evaluating the viability of WUAs, water committees, and government water-related institutions. This entails assessing their capacity to establish coordination mechanisms for water resources management, operate and manage water resources and infrastructure independently, and develop long-term plans based on the capacity building and in-kind support provided by the project.
• Identifying mechanisms to ensure long-term funding for WUAs, such as user fees, water use fees, and local government support. Additionally, assessing strategies for the long-term profitability and growth of the value-added food processing initiatives (MSMEs) supported by the project.
• Promoting community ownership, gender inclusion, and conflict mitigation over water resources. This includes evaluating the environmental impact of project interventions.

Role objectives

• Development of the IWRM Plan (50 days)

The national consultant will support the international consultant in the development of the IWRM plan through the following tasks:

1. Leading stakeholder consultation workshops and meetings during the preparation of the IWRM plan and preparing reports and meeting minutes.
2. Collecting and analyzing relevant national and local data on water resources, hydrology, socio-economic conditions, and environmental concerns in the Tuban catchment.
3. Assisting in the development of technical components of the IWRM plan, including water allocation strategies, resource management interventions, and climate resilience measures.
4. Providing input on integrating local knowledge and practices into the plan.
5. Identifying and evaluating priority water resource challenges in the Tuban catchment, including their severity, interdependencies, and frequency.
6. Determining priority integrated water resource management interventions at the catchment and sub-catchment levels.
7. Assessing institutional capacities at national, basin, and local levels to implement the IWRM plan, considering the institutional needs assessment conducted under the IWRM-ERA project, and evaluating opportunities and constraints in water resources management.
8. Collaborating with the communication team to translate and publish the IWRM plan.
9. Addressing any additional requirements requested by the international consultant to support the development of the IWRM plan.

• Development of Sustainability Plan for IWRM-ERA Project (25 days)

The national consultant will support the international consultant in the development of a Sustainability Plan for IWRM-ERA project which encompasses the following tasks:

1. Conduct a comprehensive desk review of ERA project documents, including the Theory of Change, Results Framework, Implementation Plan, and relevant assessments.
2. Conduct consultations with UNDP, RPs, NWRA, MoAIF, WUAs, and other stakeholders.
3. Identify sustainability risks and opportunities across the three project outcomes:
• Water infrastructure and agricultural production.
• Agricultural value chains and market access.
• Water governance and institutional capacity.
4. Review the mid-term evaluation report prepared during the project's midterm phase.
5. Review RPs ongoing practices that contribute to project sustainability.
6. Develop sustainability strategies for:
• Operation and maintenance (O&M) of infrastructure.
• Institutional strengthening of Water User Associations (WUAs), NWRA and offices of agriculture.
• Community ownership and cost-sharing mechanisms.
• Women s participation and empowerment.
• Climate resilience and environmental safeguards.
7. Recommend monitoring mechanisms and indicators to track sustainability.
8. Facilitate stakeholder consultations and validation workshops.
9. Review RPs ongoing capacity-building activities and suggest ways for mainstreaming sustainability business plans for community and government structures involved in the trainings.
10. Support RPs in developing sustainability strategies for the ongoing value-add and food processing initiatives at the four targeted districts in Taiz and Lahj.

Project reporting

The national consultant will report to the Project Manager and will work closely with the project staff in addition to the following consultants:

• Hydrology consultant.
• Environmental and Social Safeguards consultant.