Background

Lebanon has its renewable water resources per capita already below the water scarcity threshold, as per the National Water Sector Strategy (NWSS) issued by the MoEW and approved by the Council of Ministers. The government is facing major challenges in meeting the country’s water demand. This is evident in the continuity of water supply service where the national average ranges between 8 and 13 hours per day between the high and low season respectively. The national potable water network coverage is approximately 80%. The NWSS has proposed several initiatives to help alleviate the imbalance between supply and demand. Initiative II.5 of the NWSS specifically addresses conservation initiatives in the domestic, industrial, and irrigation sectors. 

The Lebanese Center for Water Management and Conservation (LCWMC) has been working on this mandate through several awareness raising activities and through the implementation of pilot projects that promote the efficient use of water and identifying alternative sources. One such pilot project promoted the installation of rainwater harvesting in public schools and community centers. Although rainwater harvesting has been traditionally practiced in several rural communities, it seems to be losing ground in more recent residential developments. Lebanon could benefit greatly from rain water harvesting given its Mediterranean climate with an average annual rainfall of 823mm although this varies from 700 to 1000mm along the coast and from 1500 to 2000mm in the mountains decreasing to 400mm in the eastern parts and to approximately 200mm in the northeast. Rain occurs from 80 to 90 days a year, mainly between October and April. The LCWMC would like to promote rainwater harvesting at a national scale through the development of a national rainwater harvesting guide.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant is mandated to take over the following tasks:

Task 1:

Prepare a rainwater harvesting guideline for the residential and commercial buildings sectors. The guideline should be completely adapted to the Lebanese market and local conditions. Collect and document all necessary data through various means: including desk review, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and correspondences with national and international relevant industries and stakeholders. The project will assist in availing all relevant data and documents that might assist in the completion of the required tasks, including information on pilot projects already implemented by the project. The guideline should provide guidance for designing, constructing, and managing rainwater harvesting systems including information on sizing considerations for catchment and storage systems based on anticipated water consumption. The guideline should take into account relevant local building codes, regulations, standards, and municipal bylaws. If local standards are missing, reference should be made to international standards and best practices. The guideline should include all necessary maps, illustrations, drawings, pictures, and any necessary graphical aid to illustrate the various components of a RWH system. The guideline should address in detail at least the following components of a RWH system:

  • Rainwater catchment and conveyance;
  • Rainwater storage and tank sizing;
  • Rainwater quality and treatment.
  • Water make-up system and backflow prevention
  • Pump and pressurized distribution system
  • Overflow provisions and storm water management
Each of the above suggested components should have the following minimum sections elaborated:
  • Introduction and definitions'
  • Applicable codes, standards, and guidelines;
  • Issues for consideration;
  • Design and installation guidelines;
  • Management guidelines;
  • Typical local cost of various components of the system.
Task 2:

Prepare a rainwater harvesting design tool which should be a Microsoft Excel-based tool or equivalent that assists with the design of rainwater harvesting systems based on available local rainfall data for various cities/villages in Lebanon and covering or climatic zones. When given details about a rainwater harvesting project, such as location, roof area, number of building occupants, and proposed rainwater uses, the RWH design tool should be able to determine the optimum size of rainwater storage tank, size of pump and pressure system, and provide a cost estimate for the rainwater harvesting system. The tank sizing feature of the design tool should include a variety of options, including selecting the size of tank to:
  • Maximize potable water savings while keeping tank size to a minimum;
  • Meet a specific water conservation target (i.e., reduce municipal water use by 30%);
  • Provide a specific back-up volume of rainwater during dry periods (i.e., have the rainwater supply last for 2 weeks under dry conditions); and
  • Meet typical storm event sizes (i.e., collect all rainfall from a 5-year storm 24 hour event).

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:
  • Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
  • Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
  • Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
  • Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Functional Competencies:

  • Demonstrated understanding of rainwater harvesting systems design and installation/supervision of installation;
  • Proven report-writing skills;
  • Excellent communication skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Master degree or Engineering degree in a water-related science specialty, water treatment design or civil engineering or architecture, or related field with experience in design and installation of rainwater harvesting systems.

Experience:

  • Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in design of water/irrigation systems. International or national experience in rainwater harvesting systems design and installation is preferable;
  • Previous experience in preparing guidelines/design material is an asset.

Language Requirements:

  • Fluency in English; Arabic is an asset.
Kindly refer to the Individual Consultant Procurement Notice and all related Annexes by visiting the below link:
http://www.lb.undp.org/content/lebanon/en/home/operations/procurement/
 
Please make sure to submit all the requested documents/information; otherwise, your application will be considered incomplete.