Objective and Purpose of the Assignment
 | The India Sustainable Wetland Infrastructure and Fisheries Transformation (SWIFT) aims to enhance community-based management of floodplain wetlands (hereafter referred to as beels, as locally known in Assam), leading to improved fisheries productivity and livelihoods. It will support income generation by promoting climate resilient and sustainable fishing practices; improving input quality; investing in cooperatives’ fishing gear and equipment; improving food processing and marketing facilities; and enabling price premiums through certification, traceability, and branding. It will also support fisher communities’ alternative income generating opportunities to reduce pressure on beel resources, and invest in the implementation of nature-based beel restoration and conservation solutions. The project is aligned with the following impact: sustainable consumption and production practices in natural resource management enhanced (Assam 2030). The project will have the following outcome: beel fishery productivity, market access, and sustainable community-based wetland management improved in the state of Assam. There are three key outputs under the project: Output 1: Institutional capacity and regulatory framework for sustainable beel ecosystem and fisheries management strengthened. The output aims to strengthen the current government system on beel management, particularly the leasing system. It will support the following activities: (i) updating relevant beel management and fishery acts, regulations, and rules for community-based management, and preparing public awareness-raising materials; (ii) preparing rules or guidelines for community-based beel management system, considering various hydrology of wetlands, channels, agroecological situations, and with gender equality and women empowerment focus; (iii) delivering necessary training programs on the community- based beel management system; (iv) preparing a sustainable operational model as a project exit plan; (iv) capacity building and training of the DOF staff and other allied public institutions, including the state’s wetland authority, in latest climate resilient fisheries stocking and conservation techniques, community-based beel management best practices, and use of digital technologies; (v) supporting research and development in beel ecosystem management and fisheries, including carbon sequestration benefits from beel management, climate change impacts and adaptation measures, beel hydrology and vegetation, seed production and breeding, and ex-situ conservation of endangered species; (vi) strengthening beel community-based institutions, including the provision of performance-based grants (scheme 1), as incentives for effective implementation of beel management plans; and (vii) operating the beel management monitoring system through the development of project information system and beel fisheries knowledge platform, complementing the state wetland authority’s wetland notification process. Output 2: Community-based fisheries business developed and beel community income diversified. The project ensures the sustainability of beel community-based institutions by enhancing their financial viability, strengthening women’s and marginalized groups’ participation in economic activities, and increasing job opportunities, while enhancing their resilience to climate-induced livelihood disruptions. The project will: (i) support the development or strengthening of fisheries cooperatives; (ii) provide capacity building training for these cooperatives in entrepreneurial and organizational skills, financial management, business planning, branding, marketing, and processing along the value chain, with a particular focus on securing price premiums for beel fish through improved traceability, certification and quality control; (iii) provide public sector support for the development of climate- resilient, community-based fisheries value chain infrastructure, such as fish landing sites and village- level aggregation centers, through on-beel infrastructure grants (scheme 2); (iv) promote private sector led fisheries commercialization by creating matching grant facilities for hatchery, feed mill, primary processing and other value addition initiatives (scheme 3); and (v) support other income-generating activities for women’s self-help groups through strengthening or revitalizing self-help groups based on their needs assessment and providing self-help group start-up funds (scheme 4), aligned with the Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission’s revolving fund mechanism. Output 3: Beel conservation and restoration planned and managed. The project addresses habitat loss caused by the loss of connectivity of beels with the adjacent rivers and decreasing water depth, macrophyte growth that hinders fisheries productivity, and exacerbated climate variability. These ecological changes are further exacerbated by. The beel conservation and restoration approaches will focus on: (i) beel demarcation; (ii) beel rejuvenation, such as de-weeding and desilting; and (iii) improvement of beel water inflow and outflow control through desilting, constructing embankments, installing silt traps, building water retaining structures and peripheral bunds, and installing biofilters. These will enhance the resilience of wetland ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. Partnership with various national and international knowledge institutions is planned to incorporate nature-based solutions and global best practices into the restoration framework. |
Scope of Work
| The Consultant will provide technical support to the PMU and PIU staff, particularly Output 1 and 3. |
Detailed Tasks and/or Expected Output
| Detailed Tasks (i) Assess the project’s continuous compliance with ADB’s requirements on environment safeguards with reference to initial environmental examination (IEE), environmental impact assessment (EIA) and environmental management plan documents (ii) Provide technical advice on wetland water quality management and adherence to environmental safeguards for the selected wetland/beels, to guide PIU and PMU project staff (iii) Prepare further safeguard systems assessments and any updates to environmental safeguard categorization as required (iv) Review designs for beel works and water management infrastructure to assess compliance with environmental safeguards (v) Provide technical oversight for the implementation of the environmental safeguard management system (i.e. through screening checklists and monitoring mechanisms) in accordance with the principles of ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement (SPS) (vi) Review any updates to relevant national legislative and regulatory framework against ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement (SPS), 2009. (vii) Assess the implementation of water quality management of wetlands, based on guidance developed and current global best practices and innovations (viii) Review feasibility studies, detailed project reports and other relevant documents in line with environmental safeguard and compliance requirements (ix) Provide technical advice on environmental monitoring and data collected to assess environmental impact, water quality, status of wetlands biodiversity etc. (x) Coordinate with project staff team members such as hydrologic engineers/specialists and environmental safeguard specialists to ensure environmental compliance in all aspects of project activities (xi) Participate in ADB review missions e.g. Midterm review. |
Minimum Qualification Requirements
| • Masters degree in environmental sciences or equivalent • 10 years of relevant experience in working in the field of water quality management, environmental impact assessment and the preparation of environment management plans. • Experience in the Natural resources and climate change sector projects including wetlands conservation and management. • The specialist will have demonstrated experience and understanding of ADB standards environmental safeguards. • Experience in working with international organizations/ agencies, especially with ADB or other multilateral development agencies. • Regional working experience particularly in India and Assam will be advantageous |
