Local recruitment: Irrigation and Drainage (Water Resources Management) Specialist (Pakistan nationals)

Expertise: Irrigation and Drainage (Water Resources Management) Specialist
Expertise Group: Agriculture/Rural Development

Consultant Source: National
TOR Keywords: water resources management, water and irrigation infrastructure, climate and disaster resilience, agriculture, rural development

Objective and Purpose of the Assignment

The Irrigation and Drainage (Water Resources Management) Specialist will provide technical support to
the Pakistan Resident Mission (PRM) and relevant Sector Offices in the processing, implementation, and
monitoring of water resources projects in Pakistan. The specialist will support but not limited to
following: (i) risk-adaptive planning processes and stakeholder consultations; (ii) identification and
assessment of adaptation investments, including opportunities and risks associated with incorporating
climate-resilient agriculture and water management measures based on climate risk assessments; (iii)
review of pre-feasibility studies (pre-FS), feasibility studies (FS), and detailed engineering designs
(DED) for proposed investments; and (iv) project administration through the assessment of the adequacy
and quality of water resources, hydraulic, dam, reservoir, flood management, river engineering,
irrigation, and drainage infrastructure designs.

The specialist will work closely with ADB project teams, executing agencies, and consultants to ensure
technical soundness, sustainability, climate resilience, operational efficiency, and long-term
performance of water resources investments and associated infrastructure.

Scope of Work

The specialist will support the preparation, appraisal, implementation, and monitoring of projects
related to water resources management, dams and reservoirs, flood risk management, river engineering,
hydraulic structures, drainage systems, watershed management, and irrigation infrastructure. The
assignment will focus primarily on hydraulic and water resources aspects while supporting irrigation and
drainage systems where relevant.

Detailed Tasks and/or Expected Output

The specialist will:

1. Provide technical inputs on water resources planning, allocation, development, conservation, and
   management, including surface water, groundwater, reservoirs, rivers, watersheds, floodplains, and
   associated infrastructure.
2. Review and assess technical studies, feasibility studies, detailed engineering designs, and
   implementation reports prepared by executing agencies and consultants, with particular emphasis on:
   o Hydrology and water availability assessments;
   o Hydraulic design and performance of dams, reservoirs, spillways, outlets, canals, drains, flood
   carriers, embankments, barrages, headworks, and river training works;
   o Flood management and drainage systems;
   o Reservoir operation and water regulation systems;
   o Climate resilience and adaptation measures.
3. Undertake technical review of hydraulic structures and identify requirements for rehabilitation,
   modernization, upgrading, automation, operational improvements, and climate-proofing.
4. Support hydrologic and hydraulic analyses and review modeling outputs using tools such as HEC-RAS,
   HEC-HMS, GIS, remote sensing platforms, and other appropriate analytical tools.
5. Assess flood risks, sedimentation, river morphology, erosion, scour, seepage, watershed degradation,
   and other factors affecting the performance and sustainability of water resources infrastructure.
6. Review reservoir operation studies, flood routing analyses, spillway adequacy assessments, dam safety
   evaluations, emergency preparedness measures, and water allocation frameworks.
7. Assess climate change risks and impacts on water resources systems, including changing hydrological
   regimes, extreme flood events, drought risks, sedimentation patterns, infrastructure resilience, and
   water security.
8. Support project processing teams in preparing project documentation, technical due diligence,
   approval documents, concept papers, reports and related project documentation.
9. Monitor project implementation, participate in review missions, identify implementation challenges,
   and recommend corrective actions to improve project performance and compliance with ADB requirements.
10. Coordinate with executing agencies, consultants, development partners, academic institutions, and
    relevant stakeholders to ensure effective implementation and knowledge sharing.
11. Support sector dialogue, policy discussions, portfolio reviews, programming missions, technical
    workshops, conferences, and stakeholder consultations related to water resources management.
12. Contributes to the integration of innovative technologies, digital solutions, water accounting
    approaches, decision-support systems, and climate-resilient infrastructure planning into project
    preparation and implementation.
13. Prepare technical notes, comments, mission inputs, knowledge products, and other reports as required
    by ADB.
14. Perform other related duties as required to support ADB’s water resources portfolio and sector
    operations in Pakistan.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

• Master’s degree in water resources engineering, Civil Engineering, Hydraulic Engineering, Hydrology,
  River Engineering, or a related discipline from a recognized university. A PhD in a relevant field will
  be preferred.
• International academic qualifications from internationally recognized universities will be preferred.
• At least 12 years of professional experience in water resources planning and management, hydraulic
  engineering, flood risk management, river engineering, dams and reservoirs, drainage systems, and
  related infrastructure.
• Demonstrated experience in the preparation, review, and implementation of water resources, flood
  management, hydraulic infrastructure, river engineering, sediment management, river training, erosion
  protection, and scour mitigation projects.
• Strong knowledge of hydrology, hydraulics, flood management, reservoir operations, river morphology,
  dam safety, drainage systems, and climate-resilient water resources infrastructure.
• Experience in reviewing feasibility studies, detailed engineering designs, technical reports, and
  project implementation documents for water resources and hydraulic infrastructure projects.
• Experience working with government agencies responsible for water resources, irrigation, flood
  management, dams, drainage, or related sectors in Pakistan will be highly preferred.
• Experience working with multilateral development banks, bilateral development partners, consulting
  firms, research institutions, or international organizations will be an advantage.
• Sound understanding of Pakistan’s government administrative systems, planning processes, and project
  approval mechanisms.
• Excellent analytical, report-writing, communication, and stakeholder coordination skills.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Willingness and ability to undertake field missions throughout Pakistan as required.

Minimum General Experience: 15 Years
Minimum Specific Experience (relevant to assignment): 12 Years