LAGOS URBAN WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE ACTIVITY (LUWASH): CLIMATE AND HYDROLOGY EXPERT (SHORT-TERM TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE)
About Athena Infonomics
Celebrating thirteen years of innovative and collaborative work, Athena Infonomics has established itself as a data-driven global consultancy that leverages social science research, data science, and technology to provide user-centric, context-specific solutions and advice to decision makers. Our multidisciplinary and multi-cultural team of 80+ professionals spread across Asia, Africa, Washington D.C., and London exemplify extensive experience in designing and applying research methods to co-design and co-produce useful research that is inclusive and relevant.
About LUWASH
Lagos is a densely populated city, with rapidly growing urban and peri-urban areas and more than 200 informal settlements, which pose unique challenges for water supply and sanitation access and environmental protection. These challenges are exacerbated by poor performance of existing public water and sanitation authorities, inadequate public financing, poor water and sanitation infrastructure, and lack of sustainable revenue generating mechanisms. The lack of access to safe water and sanitation services limits development and quality of life across the State. Explosive population growth has long overwhelmed the capacities of Lagos Water Company (LWC) and Lagos State Wastewater Management Office (LSWMO) to provide sufficient and reliable services, leading to fragmented service delivery from a range of utility, community, and private service providers while providing limited choices and little accountability.
To address the need for improved urban WASH services in Lagos, the Lagos Urban Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Activity (LUWASH) – funded by USAID and delivered by Chemonics in consortium with organizations including Athena Infonomics and FEI Consulting – is focusing on improving the financial and technical capabilities as well as the governance of the WASH sector in Lagos. This includes, but is not limited to, utilities, private sector providers and the institutions tasked with monitoring and enforcing activities in the WASH sector in Lagos State. This will be done to expand and improve urban water and sanitation service delivery to the large number of unserved and underserved households residing in Lagos.
By working across multiple actors at varying levels of government, governance, and community engagement, LUWASH is tackling the profound and entrenched challenges faced by the Lagos WASH sector. Strategic deployment of rehabilitation funds and grants will further stimulate virtuous cycles of service improvements.
About the Assignment
Lagos faces a multifaceted array of environmental and economic challenges, with key hazards and stressors that include heavy rainfall, fluvial, pluvial and coastal flooding, sea level rise and saline intrusion, domestic waste/sewage and stormwater runoff, groundwater overextraction and contamination, poor infrastructure and erratic power supply. These hazards and stressors are expected to be exacerbated by climate change, population growth, and the continued loss of natural absorptive capacities. Nigeria is expected to experience a warmer climate in the future: climate change projections indicate a temperature increase ranging from +1.3 to +5.7°C. Together with annual precipitation anomalies ranging from -36.0 to +47.0mm and projected rise in sea levels, it can be inferred that Lagos could experience more extreme weather events.
A key activity in the second year of the LUWASH program, the Climate Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (CVRA) of the Lagos State WASH Sector seeks to understand these challenges and identify sustainable, robust and resilient measures to be taken by sector stakeholders. Led by FEI Consulting, with support from Athena Infonomics and Chemonics, the CVRA has the following objectives:
1. Comprehensive Climate Vulnerability and Risk Assessment along social, financial, physical, environmental, human and political/institutional dimensions
2. Map WASH infrastructure resilience to climate and disaster risks
3. Develop adaptation and mitigation strategies that address identified vulnerabilities, leverage sustainable management practices, etc.
4. Provide policy and planning recommendations that incorporate climate resilience into the WASH sector
5. Develop Monitoring, evaluation and learning framework to track resilience-building efforts’ effectiveness
Role and Responsibilities of Consultant
The Climate and Hydrology Expert will be an integral part of the CVRA team, and will join other experts in climate change, water supply and sanitation engineering to produce the overall project outputs.
The Climate and Hydrology Expert will have the following responsibilities:
· Collate and review relevant available data for analysing current and future climate projections, including from global datasets on flooding, drought, sea level rise, and any localised datasets that may already exist.
· Evaluate available baseline climate conditions to identify and model changes in weather patterns, water availability and quality, and associated risks.
· Analyze current and future climate projections to understand potential impacts on the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector in Lagos, Nigeria, particularly the impact on infrastructure and services, and if possible, disaggregate impact on vulnerable populations.
· Conduct hydrological and hydraulic assessments to understand and map coastal, fluvial, and pluvial floods for various return periods under current and future climate conditions.
· Utilize climate models to forecast future scenarios and inform adaptive strategies for WASH resilience.
· Provide insights on climate trends and variability to the project team.
· Advise on integrating hydrological considerations into the Climate Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (CVRA) and adaptation strategies.
· Collaborate with the WASH experts, GIS specialist, and other team members to ensure the integration of climate and hydrological data into the CVRA process.
· Contribute to the development of the Climate Risk Assessment Report and the Climate Adaptation Recommendations Report.
Qualifications of Consultant
The Consultant will work closely with the project team to ensure that climate and hydrological considerations are properly integrated into the CVRA and the development of adaptation strategies for enhancing the resilience of the WASH sector in Lagos, Nigeria.
Essential
· Advanced degree in Climate Science, Hydrology, Water Resource Management, or a related field.
· Six+ years of relevant professional experience in climate modelling, hydrological assessments, and vulnerability and risk assessments.
· Proficiency in using relevant software and tools for climate and hydrological modelling.
· Strong knowledge of Geographic Information Systems.
· Knowledge of water and sanitation sector and service delivery.
· Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
· Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
· Ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team.
Preferred
· Experience working in Nigeria or West Africa.
· Experience working with international development agencies, preferably USAID.
· Experience working with governmental agencies.
Deliverables
These deliverables are essential for achieving the objectives of the Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment (CVRA) of the WASH sector in Lagos, Nigeria, as part of the LUWASH programme. They will contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the sector’s vulnerabilities and opportunities for building resilience against climate variability and change.
1. Data and literature review: baseline climate conditions; climate projections; water and flooding data
2. Climate Risk Assessment Workshop presentation: hydrological and hydraulic modelling results, future scenarios, and implications for WASH sector stakeholders, Lagos State
3. Climate Risk Assessment Report: exact scope and inputs to be agreed with CVRA Team Leader
Deliverable Anticipated LOE (Days) Estimated Timeline
Data and literature review 5 days End July
Climate Risk Assessment Workshop: presentation 10 days September
Climate Adaptation and Recommendation Report 7 days October
Place of Performance
The Climate and Hydrological Expert will work remotely. No travel to Lagos is anticipated.
Period of Performance
The Climate and Hydrological Expert will serve through October 2024, with the potential for extension as needed.
