Sustainable Water Resource Management at DAI Kenya - Development Alternatives, Inc.

Job description

Background

Promoting Inclusive Markets in Somalia (PIMS) is a four year market development programme funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) and DANIDA. Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI) is the implementing agency of the program.

PIMS works with stakeholders, including private sector players and market actors in Somaliland, Puntland and South-Central Somalia, employing a market systems development approach /Making Markets Work better for the Poor (M4P) methodology to stimulate inclusive economic growth, targeting sustainable improvements in market outcomes by altering the incentives that the market as a system provides to participants. The approach addresses major government and market systems failures in order to bring about systemic change underpinning sustainability.

From 2015, PIMS has been working in the dairy sector (Somaliland), sesame (Shabelle Valley) and fisheries sector in Puntland to promote improved production technologies and practices and post-harvest handling techniques aimed at increasing smallholder incomes and jobs creation. Since the start of implementation, over 45,000 smallholders have benefited from the programme’s interventions even though the prolonged 2016/2017 drought severely affected PIMS activities; especially the livestock sector where the pastoral communities lost close to half of the herd size due to lack of water and pasture.

Drought being a protracted risk to the effective development of productive sectors in Somalia, the PIMS programme has on a small scale assisted commercial dairy companies to invest in drilled wells for commercial fodder production.

As part of the lesson learning agenda of the programme during the extension phase (20182019), PIMS is keen to understand in detail what initiatives have been taken in the past, both by the donor community, private sector and the government in relation to water resource management, what successes and challenges were recorded and explore new opportunities in relation to water resource management to inform future programming.

Contextual analysis of water resource management in Somalia

Over the past decades, Somalia has experienced recurrent droughts with the seasonal rains falling short for over four consecutive years. Livestock herds have been decimated, forcing hard-hit pastoralists to migrate in search of water and pasture. Severe shortages of food and water, along with soaring water prices, and the deaths of livestock, have plunged many families into impoverishment. According to SWALIM Drought Impact Needs Assessment, the 2016/2017 drought led to the death of almost 40% of the entire livestock population in Somalia.

Many of the causes of Somalia’s vulnerability to drought risks and the constraints to improving livelihood and economic development in the country are related to lack of development of water resources and its poor management (SWALIM 2006 Drought Assessment report). Most of the rainwater is not put to productive uses due to lack of storage and poor water management practices. Ground water remains a finite resource and very costly to extract due to the need for deep wells of 200 to 400 metres in many parts of the country. Furthermore, the pressures on this scarce resource are mounting due to increasing population, urbanisation, irrigated farming and industrial activities. Water needs range from water supply for rural and urban household needs, livestock consumption, and agriculture. However, despite various problems, there is adequate potential to meet water needs in many parts of the country if water is well managed (SWALIM 2010). For example, better rain water harvesting infrastructure is needed in the highland areas where most of the annual rain is received in Gu (April to June) and the Deyr (September to November) with associated flash flooding and surface run offs that can be harnessed into productive use.

The specific objectives of the assessment:

• Review of existing materials, literature, data and knowledge related to the surface water and groundwater resources of Somalia, covering both quantity and associated water quality. The review shall also explore in details what initiatives (government, private sector and donor community) have been undertaken in the past on water conservation/ water resource management (This will involve key informant interviews with SWALIM and relevant projects).
• Assess the surface water and groundwater resources and the potential for meeting domestic, livestock and irrigation water supply demands in Somalia. This can include an assessment of the spatial and temporal variability of surface water and groundwater in terms of quantity and quality, including periods of groundwater stresses, as well as identification of zones with high groundwater surface run offs, siltation and poor water quality.
• To identify major problems, challenges and priority areas within which more detailed investigations may be carried out. This can include both challenges to local communities and to government, including government capacity.
• Assessment of the hydrological characteristics of the main catchments and rivers, including extreme events/surface run-offs and long-term trends, and estimation of the water resources.
• General assessment of the balance between available water resources versus the demand for irrigation, fodder production and considering topographical and available socioeconomic characteristics.
• An economic analysis of the different surface water conservation techniques (e.g earth dams, wells, concrete built dams) and provide an expert analysis of the most cost effective solution that can better support irrigation, fodder production and animal water requirements. A component of this should focus on long term solutions that enable better resilience and greater capacity -perhaps at governmental or community level – to withstand climatic shocks.

Deliverables:

A comprehensive review and set of recommendations on the promotion of sustainable water management, exploring both government capacity and capacity of communities to manage and sustain long term interventions. The review will recommend potential favorable water management solutions and outline the biggest challenges faced in the Somali context.

A presentation to DFID Somalia providing an overview of the review produced and suggested recommendations.

Min Qualification:

Advanced university degree (M.sc. Or equivalent) from a recognized institution in one of the following fields: Water Resources Management/Development, Hydrology, Groundwater/Hydrology, or Agricultural Engineering.

Min Experience:

Extensive experience (a minimum of 10 years) in analysing water resources management and development, hydrological and irrigation information and other remotely sensed data; irrigation and agricultural water management with experience in surface and groundwater hydrology. Proven work experience in Somalia is desirable.

Location

A significant portion of the assignment will take place in Somalia. Some specific objectives (where possible) can be completed remotely.

The presentation given to DFID Somalia is likely to be in Nairobi, Kenya. This will be confirmed while the assignment is taking place.

Duration

The consultancy is expected to run for up to 25 days with expected start date in Mid August .The consultant shall report to PIMS team leader.