Consultant - “Review of
National Water Policy Documents/Strategies.....

 Background

Water, a natural resource vital for sustenance of all life forms and ecosystems on planet earth is becoming a scarce commodity. Global warming and extreme climate events  are fast changing the dynamics of hydrologic cycle, rainfall patterns and its distribution with impending consequences on human populations, enhancing vulnerabilities of communities living in mountainous and drought prone dryland areas. Water that until recently used to be free resource available in plenty for different consumptive uses in Pakistan, has now become an important subject of great national and public concern. The scarcity of water in the once mighty Indus River System, deltaic region and perennial streams for supporting irrigated agriculture through an intensive network of canals is affecting entire spectrum of the population all across the country in urban and rural landscapes. Water levels in main rivers and storage dams have touched to devastating record lows close to dead levels. While the impacts of global climate change and prolonged droughts on water resources are well understood, manipulation of dynamics of hydrological processes in up-streaming watersheds across trans-boundary landscapes also needs to be taken into consideration. The scarcity of irrigation water and unsustainable management water resources in Pakistan are likely to accelerate the process of land degradation and desertification in Pakistan. Similarly, these would be major barriers in promoting Sustainable Land Management (SLM).

As per Pakistan Strategic Country Environmental Assessment Report 2006 (SCEA, 2006), per capita water availability in Pakistan has decreased from 5,000 m3 in 1951 to 1100 m3 per annum. According to the Planning and Development Division, between 1997 and 2005, overall water availability decreased from 1,299 m3 to 1,101 m3 per capita. The increasing gap between water supply and demand has led to severe water shortage in almost all economic sectors.

In the past, most of the policy issues related to water focused on hydro-power generation and consumptive use for expansion in irrigated agriculture lands which increased from 8.4 mha in 1947 to 18.09 mha in 2000. The potential of harnessing surface and underground water resources in drylands through small dams and rain water harvesting has almost remained under utilized. Furthermore, the potential of Rod Kohi (Hill Torrent) irrigation system has not been properly reflected in water policies and plans.

The first draft National Water Policy in Pakistan was formulated by the Ministry of Water and Power in 2006 and is still in the process of approval by the Federal Government. It appears that there are many gaps in the existing water policies, strategies, and plans, particularly in the context of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification UNCCD, National Action Programme (NAP) to Combat Desertification and Mitigate Impact of Drought, and promotion of SLM. These gaps have to be identified and appropriate policy reforms suggested for mainstreaming implementation of UNCCD, NAP and SLM into water policies and plans. The purpose of the study is to indentify such gaps and come up with recommendations for appropriate policy reforms under the water sector.

II. Objective

The main objective of this study is to critically examine the water policies and plans of Pakistan, analyze their strengths and weaknesses in the context of UNCCD, NAP, SLM principles and recently adopted 10-Year Strategic Plan of the UNCCD and come up with recommendations for mainstreaming these in water policies and plans.

III. Reporting Responsibilities
 
The consultant will work under the overall direction and guidance of NPD and NPC with direct reporting to the Coordinator, Policy Reforms. The consultant will work in close coordination with the SLMP team, Ministry of Water and Power, WAPDA, Ministry of Environment, P& D Division and UNDP Environment Unit.

IV. Specific tasks

The specific tasks and responsibilities will be as under:

Task I:  Inception meetings, methodology, worklpan, and draft table of contents

This task will include:

 Holding inception meetings with SLMP Project Team at the NCU and concerned persons in the Ministry of Water and Power (i) to review  the process for conducting study, (ii) identify preliminary background information related to the water sector, and (iii) finalize the methodology, workplan and draft table of contents for the final study report.

Task II:  Review national water policy documents, strategies and plans

 Take stock and review of relevant literature and existing water policy documents and plans of Pakistan with special reference to SLM.

 Identify key issues, define assessment criteria in the context of UNCCD, NAP, SLM principles and UNCCD’s Strategic Document for reviewing policy documents/plans

 Review and analyze water related policies, strategies, and plans with special reference to the UNCCD, its 10-Year Strategic Plan, NAP and SLM and to identify key policy gaps, including strengths and weaknesses.

Task III: Study regional experiences in mainstreaming UNCCD, NAP, and SLM into water policies/plans

 Identify and review at least three national policies documents, plans and best practices of other countries where UNCCD, NAP and SLM have been mainstreamed into water sector related policies/plans.
 Based on this review of these national policies prepare a brief summary to facilitate stakeholders discussion.

Task IV: Prepare recommendations for integrating UNCCD, its 10-yeas Strategic Plan, NAP and SLM principles into policies and developmental plans of the water sector

 Hold consultations with key stakeholders for discussing status of UNCCD, its 10-yeas Strategic Plan, NAP and SLM mainstreaming into water or other related policies/plans for capturing views on policy reforms for mainstreaming UNCCD, NAP and SLM.

 Based on stakeholders input, investigate, analyze strengths and weaknesses of the policy documents and plans in the context of NAP, SLM principles and UNCCD and develop policy reform options.
 Prepare first draft report of the study containing recommendations regarding policy reforms for mainstreaming UNCCD, NAP, SLM principles and 10-Year Strategic Plan of the UNCCD into water policies and plans and share with SLMP Team to take inputs/feedback.
 Incorporate inputs/feedback from SLMP Team and prepare the second draft of the report

Task V: Seek validation of recommendations from Stakeholders

 Facilitate a National Validation Workshop for discussing the study findings and taking inputs from key stakeholders and water sector experts including from Government agencies and NGOs.

 Present findings of the study to the stakeholders in the workshop for validation of the study report and finalizing its recommendations.

 Prepare a brief workshop report focusing on stakeholders’ feedback.

 Finalize study report based on input during the stakeholders’ workshop.
V. Time frame and duration
The total duration of the consultancy will be two months, while the time frame for the assignment is to be mutually agreed between the consultant and the SLMP.
VI. Outputs and Deliverables
Deliverables include:
 A brief outline (table of contents) based on the outputs listed above and brief methodology for the study within a week after signing of the contract,
 A hard copy and a soft copy of the First Draft Report based on the outputs mentioned above for feed-back from the project.
 A hard and a soft copy of the 2nd Draft report after incorporating the comments/view on the first draft.
 Workshop facilitation and preparation of report.
 Two (2) hard copies and a soft copy (on CD) of final consultancy report after incorporating comments of workshop experts/SLMP review.
VII. Payment schedule
The assignment is required to be completed in a period indicated above and mutually agreed by the consultant and the project. The project will make lumpsum payments, subject to the satisfactory approval of the deliverables. Delivery of outputs and payment schedule will be as under:
i. 1st installment (10 %) on submission of methodology and workplan for completion of the assignment including table of contents of the study/ report.
ii. 2nd installment (20%) on submission of First Draft Report based on the outputs mentioned and the report outlines (table of contents) agreed by the project.
iii. 3rd installment (20%) after submission and approval of 2nd Draft Report.
iv. 4th installment (20%) after holding national workshop and preparation of report incorporating suggestions/recommendations in the report
v. 5th installment (30%) subject to the acceptance of the final report.
VIII. Requirements for Submission of Brief Proposals/Concept Note

The individual consultants will be required to submit their CVs along with a 3-4 pages concept note covering relevant experience, approach/proposed methodology for the study and indicative amount of the consultancy fee in lump-sum, including travel expenses (if involved) for the assignment.

Education
Must	Degree	Degree Level	Country	Description
	Masters Degree	Masters Degree		Master’s/Ph.D in Hydrology, Water Resources Development, Agronomy, Agriculture Economics, Agriculture Engineering and other related fields. Knowledge of UNCCD, NAP and other relevant conventions will be an added advantage.

Skills
Must	Title	Level	Description
	English Language and report writing	Excellent	 He/she should be fluent in English with excellent writing skills. He/she should have good understanding of the national/regional/local issues as relevant to the subject.  Excellent drafting and reporting skills.  Experience of conducting multi-stakeholder workshops and synthesizing participant inputs.  Excellent computing skills, including MS Word, Excel, Power-point etc.