Water Harvesting Incentive Mechanism Consultant (National consultant)

Result of Service

1. Repository of existing projects, information, and lessons learned from previous water harvesting projects in Jordan related to the water harvesting, as well as water harvesting guides and best practices, and incentive mechanisms applied in countries with similar contexts to Jordan. 2. Better understanding of the existing Policies and Regulations related to rainwater harvesting in Jordan, identifying legal barriers or gaps that may hinder the implementation of an incentive program. 3. Analysis of technical feasibility of rooftop rainwater harvesting systems considering building typology, rooftop design, water storage capacity, and maintenance requirements, and the resulting improvement in water provision. 4. Estimation of the costs associated with implementing and maintaining rainwater harvesting systems, with potential cost savings and benefits for households and communities, considering projections of increases in water tariff in the future. 5. Improved understanding of social acceptance and awareness of water harvesting, with a strategy to promote the water harvesting incentive mechanism to stimulate adoption by the community. 6. Pilot incentive program proposed for incentivizing rooftop rainwater harvesting in Irbid or Mafraq, including key components, responsible institution, and expected outcomes

Work Location

Amman, Jordan

Expected duration

9 months

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is dedicated to promoting socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and achieving adequate shelter for all. UN-Habitat’s work is aligned with the New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goal 11, aiming to create inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities. Background: The project titled “Increasing the resilience of both displaced persons (DPs) and host communities to climate change-related water challenges in Jordan and Lebanon” aims to support the development of a comprehensive response framework to climate change-combined with the Syrian crisis-especially in an urban context. The overall aim of this project is to better respond to climate change impacts and vulnerabilities in the context of the Syrian crisis in both countries. This is done by demonstrating what concrete adaptation measures respond to the needs of both DPs and host communities, and especially women and youth, while avoiding any tension over resources and employment opportunities. Now in its tenth year, the Syrian crisis has had a profound humanitarian, socio-economic, and political impact on the population in both Syria and its neighbouring countries. In recent years, millions of people have been displaced and migrated from Syria. According to a study by UNHCR, Lebanon and Jordan are ranked the largest and second largest refugee-hosting countries in the world compared to the size of their national population, with 173 and 89 refugees per 1,000 inhabitants, respectively. This has placed unprecedented strain on the country’s economy, infrastructure, and public services. The project will focus on supporting a sustainable water management approach, by reducing water use of unsustainable sources-by means of reducing water losses and increasing water use efficiency-and by increasing water supply of sustainable sources-via supporting water harvesting and promoting the use of non-conventional sustainable water resources. The approach also includes promoting innovative, low cost and sustainable techniques (more information on these techniques is available upon request and are included in the full/final proposal) and establishing urban-rural linkages-as water challenges also impact agriculture and livelihood security. The project identifies DPs as the most vulnerable group due to socio-economic challenges and their dependence on often water-vulnerable sectors, especially the agriculture sector, that could affect affordability to access water in the target areas. However, the project also recognizes increased tension between DPs and host communities and the needs of vulnerable Jordanians and Lebanese. Therefore, assessment and planning processes and capacity building activities will target both DPs and host community groups to avoid and even reduce any tension over scare resources and job opportunities. The project will promote the replication and upscaling of the demonstrated techniques and approaches within and beyond Jordan and Lebanon, and will demonstrate how water resources can be assessed, planned and managed more efficiently at the municipal level (i.e. establish urban-rural linkages) and sustainably (by mainstreaming climate change and gender in municipal master plans). The project aim to produce an Incentive mechanism (financial) and regulatory framework to replicate and upscale rainwater harvesting activities and publish and share it with other relevant cities in Jordan through the city-to-city exchanges for further replication. The Water Harvesting Incentive Mechanism Consultant will work closely with the UN-Habitat Jordan team to support the implementation of the Adaptation Fund-sponsored project in Jordan within the component 4.3, in close coordination with project partners and executing entities. The work also will be formalized under the technical water harvesting working group that reports to the National Climate Change Committee in Jordan chaired by the Ministry of Environment. Reporting Line: The Water Harvesting Incentive Mechanism Consultant will be assigned part time to the “Increasing the resilience of both displaced persons (DPs) and host communities to climate change-related water challenges in Jordan and Lebanon” project within Jordan team and will report to the Regional Project Coordinator. Duties and responsibilities: With delegated authority, the Water Harvesting Incentive Mechanism Consultant will be responsible for the following duties: 1. Desk review and data collection: • Conduct a comprehensive desk review of the Adaptation Fund project documents and relevant assessments, focusing on water harvesting and incentive mechanisms. • Collect data and lessons learned from previous water harvesting projects implemented in Jordan, identifying key challenges, successes, and opportunities for improvement. • Analyze international best practices in water harvesting and incentive mechanisms, specifically from countries with similar socio-economic and environmental conditions to Jordan. 2. Review of Existing Policies and Regulations: • Evaluate the existing legal framework in Jordan related to rainwater harvesting and identify any regulatory barriers or gaps that might affect the implementation of an incentive program. • Collaborate with legal experts and government bodies to gather insights into water-related legislation and policies, focusing on opportunities for improvements. • Provide recommendations for policy reform based on best practices from other countries, ensuring that rainwater harvesting initiatives are both legally feasible and easy to implement in Jordan. 3. Technical Assessment: • Assess the technical feasibility of rooftop rainwater harvesting systems, considering factors such as building typology, rooftop designs, available storage capacity, and maintenance requirements. • Evaluate the improvement in water provision from these systems and provide detailed guidelines on their design and implementation in Jordan’s climate. • Consider the long-term sustainability of the systems by identifying technical challenges (such as maintenance, durability…etc) and proposing mitigation/adaptation strategies to address them. 4. Economic Analysis: • Conduct a detailed estimation of the full life-cycle costs of implementing and maintaining rainwater harvesting systems, including installation, maintenance, and long-term repairs. • Evaluate the direct financial benefits for households and communities, including cost savings through reduced reliance on municipal water supplies. • Provide an economic forecast considering future increases in water tariffs and how rainwater harvesting systems can offset those costs. • Focus on the financial impact without considering incentives (incentives will be covered in a separate section below), to assess the base-level economic feasibility of the systems. 5. Social Acceptance and Awareness: • Conduct stakeholder consultations to understand public perception and the willingness of households and communities to adopt rainwater harvesting systems. • Identify non-financial factors that may affect adoption, such as cultural attitudes, technical understanding, or environmental awareness. • Develop and propose communication strategies aimed at increasing awareness, highlighting the environmental and economic benefits (from the economic analysis) to encourage adoption. • Consider how public perception might be influenced by the economic viability of systems and use this information to tailor awareness campaigns. 6. Incentive Mechanisms: • Explore a range of financial incentive models used globally (e.g., subsidies, tax incentives, revolving funds, grants) that could make the adoption of rainwater harvesting systems more affordable. • Recommend suitable incentive mechanisms that are tailored to Jordan’s socio-economic context, targeting households, implementing businesses, and adopter municipalities. • Assess how these financial incentives can improve adoption rates and integrate findings from the economic analysis to justify the introduction of these mechanisms. • Propose a pilot program to test one or more incentive models in specific target areas (such as Irbid or Mafraq), detailing the key components, responsible institutions, and expected outcomes.

Qualifications/special skills

• Advance degree, in civil or environmental engineering, environmental fields, hydrology, water resources management or any other related field is required. A first level degree with 9 years of experience may be accepted in lieu. • Seven years of progressively responsible experience in civil or environmental engineering, environmental fields, hydrology, water resources management, or related area is required. • Thorough understanding of the problems with water and climate change that the local communities in Jordan are facing, as well as the local climate, rainfall patterns, and issues related to water scarcity in Jordan, is required. • Experience in assessing and analysing existing policies and regulations, desirably related to water management and rainwater harvesting, is required. • Ability to identify legal barriers or gaps that may impact the implementation of the incentive program, is required. • Knowledge of Jordanian water regulations and legislation is required. • Capacity to perform economic analyses, which includes projecting expenses and possible savings, is required. • The capacity to evaluate rainwater harvesting systems’ viability from an economic standpoint, is required. • Effective communication abilities to convey conclusions and suggestions to stakeholders is required • Capacity to draft interim and final reports that are easy to read and summarize recommendations, difficulties encountered, and progress is required. • Previous experience giving frequent updates and collaborating with project management is required. • Experience with the design, implementation, and upkeep of rainwater harvesting systems, is desirable. • Stakeholder consultation experience and interaction with a range of groups (e.g., households, communities, government officials) is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nation Secretariat, for this position fluency in English and Arabic (both oral and written) is required.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

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