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UNESCO in partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe is implementing an Adaptation Fund (AF) project entitled “Strengthening local communities’ adaptive capacity and resilience to climate change through sustainable groundwater utilisation in Zimbabwe.” The objective of the proposed project is to increase local communities’ adaptive capacity and resilience to climate change through sustainable groundwater utilisation for food security and other productive uses in rural areas of Zimbabwe. To achieve this, the project will implement an array of actions starting at national to local levels. 

These include: (i) Strengthening technical, institutional and human capacity for improved and sustainable utilization of groundwater at national and local level; 

(ii) conducting comprehensive assessments of groundwater resources in two poverty-stricken and highly vulnerable sub-catchments of Lower Gwayi and Upper Save and developing sample plans for improving climate resilience through sustainable groundwater utilization;

(iii) Strengthening the capacity of water and land management institutions in Lower Gwayi and Upper Save sub-catchments by developing integrated catchment management plans that promote groundwater use whilst protecting groundwater resources; 

(iv) Piloting and demonstrating concrete climate change adaptation measures based on sustainable groundwater utilisation by diversifying and strengthening the livelihoods of the most vulnerable population in Lower Gwayi and Upper Save sub-catchments; and 

(v) Compiling and disseminating lessons learnt from the project to facilitate future upscaling and replication of good practices in groundwater extraction and management. The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development is the executing partner, and the project will be implemented for 4 years from January 2024 to January 2028. 

UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa seeks to engage the services of an experienced Consulting Company to conduct comprehensive assessments of groundwater resources in the poverty-stricken and highly vulnerable sub-catchment of Lower Gwayi and develop groundwater development action plans for improving climate resilience through sustainable groundwater.  

• Estimate the quantity of groundwater resources available in Lower Gwayi sub-catchment particularly focusing on Binga (Ward 13 and 19). This includes measuring water levels, flow rates, and identifying the volume of water that can be sustainably extracted.

• Map and describe the hydrogeological characteristics of the aquifers, including their types (confined, unconfined, fractured) and properties such as permeability and porosity

• Analyze the chemical and physical properties of groundwater in the aquifers to assess its quality and produce a water quality index map for the targeted wards.

• Estimate the rate of groundwater recharge, flow, storage and natural discharge points based on available/acquired datasets

• Conduct a risk assessment to identify potential threats to groundwater resources, such as contamination from agricultural runoff, industrial discharges, or over-extraction and climate variability to inform design of sustainable multi-village water schemes with a simulation of impacts and hazards;

• Map hotspots where extreme pressure to ground water are likely to be experienced

• Provide recommendations for sustainable groundwater management practices based on the assessment findings

• Map potential sites for groundwater recharge and suggest groundwater recharge methods applicable for the sites. 

• Establish a framework for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of groundwater resources as well as propose tools for real-time groundwater monitoring. 

• Develop an introductory course to Groundwater Assessment to be hosted on the . 

The Consultancy Organization will develop all tools and resources to carry out the assessment and lead in the design and execution across all target areas to establish the groundwater potential. The consultant will work closely with the Be-Resilient Zimbabwe Plus Project team especially the Project Coordinator and Programme Specialist in Natural Sciences Sector, under the overall guidance of the Head of Science, to deliver the assignment. 

The study will take place in two wards in Binga Districts; Ward 13 and 19. The resultant groundwater resource map/atlas and water quality index maps together with two groundwater development action plans will form the primary knowledge products resulting from the Consultancy. 

The groundwater resource and water quality index maps will take the form of a Project GIS (QGIS and Google Earth. kml File formats) with as many relevant information layers as feasible. 

• Drainage (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (STRM)/ Digital Elevation Model) 
• Monthly Rainfall Averages (MODIS Model) 
• Geology 
• Springs 
• Existing boreholes & hand pumps

The Consultancy will utilize a comprehensive approach for the groundwater assessment to enhance understanding of the regional groundwater architecture by integrating multiple sources of information. This includes leveraging existing maps and data from previous studies, as well as conducting new field observations to gather ground-truthing data. The analysis should focus on interpreting the spatial distribution of groundwater within the study area, while also identifying and evaluating the geological features and landscape factors that influence this distribution. 

The Consultancy aims to improve the understanding of the groundwater resources in Binga District (Ward 13 and 19) and drilling sites for the Be-Resilient Zimbabwe Plus Project and state and non-state actors for community water supply boreholes. Priority will be given to areas with high potential for new freshwater sources.

The Consultancy Company should complete the following key activities:

2.1 Desk Study

The work should start from data collection and review of all available information (available maps, documents, reports, hydro meteorological data, well data, water quality data, geological settings, demographic data, etc.). Background information should be gathered and collated by the Consultancy Company and should include;

1. Review of existing hydrogeological datasets in the project area, including the borehole completion records
2. Preparations of field survey and GIS base maps for the project area
3. Drafting inception report detailing existing hydrogeological datasets, the proposed methodology for detailed mapping
4. Submission of the draft inception report to UNESCO

2.2 GIS-Based Groundwater Potential

The Consultancy Company shall initially utilize GIS and remote sensing approaches to evaluate the groundwater resource potential in the targeted wards. This approach helps to delineate target areas for hydrogeological and water quality assessment details. The outputs of this phase shall include a comprehensive report including:

1. Drainage map of the project area
2. Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (STRM)/Digital terrain model
3. Vegetation classification
4. Groundwater point distribution
5. Statistical analysis of the soil types

2.3 Hydrogeology and Water Quality Study

The Consultancy Company shall investigate the hydrogeology of the aquifers and determine their characteristics in the targeted wards. These characteristics shall include yields, depth to the aquifer, transmissivities, hydraulic properties, recharge, discharge, etc. The water quality study shall entail water sampling and the determination of physicochemical parameters. The primary outputs expected in this phase include:

1. Two groundwater potential maps/atlases, and;
2. Two water quality index maps
3. Aquifer delineation and recharge zones
4. Groundwater Borehole Yield/Depth/Transmissivity Map(s)

2.4 Groundwater Development Plans

Based on the findings from the assessment, the Consultancy Company shall produce two groundwater development action plans for targeted areas to support sustainable management and utilization of the groundwater resources. The action plans must include the following components:

1. Executive Summary - A brief overview of the plan's objectives, scope, and key recommendations.
2. Introduction - Background information on the groundwater resources in the area, including their significance and current challenges.
3. Assessment of current conditions - An analysis of existing groundwater levels, quality, usage patterns, and potential threats to the resource.
4. Goals and objectives - Clearly defined goals and specific objectives that the action plan aims to achieve.
5. Strategies and actions - Detailed strategies and actions to be implemented, including measures for sustainable management, groundwater recharge methods, quality protection, and stakeholder engagement.
6. Monitoring and Evaluation Framework - A plan for monitoring groundwater conditions and evaluating the effectiveness of implemented actions over time, including proposed tools for realtine groundwater monitoring.
7. Stakeholder Involvement - A section outlining how stakeholders will be engaged throughout the process, including roles and responsibilities.
8. Funding and Resources - Identification of potential funding sources and resources required for the implementation of the action plan.
9. Conclusion - A summary of the expected outcomes and the importance of the action plan for the sustainable management of groundwater resources.

Apart from the above outputs, the consultant shall submit to UNESCO the datasets acquired during this phase and a powerpoint presentation of assessment findings.

1. Inventory of wells and all boreholes and recording their GPS coordinates and codes
2. Identifications of possible target areas for geophysical investigation work to supplement the hydrogeological analysis. 
3. Interpretation of groundwater flow directions.

2.5 Short course on the introduction to Groundwater Assessment

Based on the above exercise, the consultant company shall develop a short course on the introduction to Groundwater Assessment. 

The Consultancy Company should suggest a detailed approach and methodology in compliance with the project's goals and objectives. The approach and methodology should be informed by the previous successful experience in other similar environments. The Consultant should elaborate on the approaches, tools, and outputs for each step.

The Team Lead must have:

• An Advanced University degree in Hydrogeology/geophysics or relevant field 

• Minimum 5 years’ experience managing and implementing groundwater mapping projects in Zimbabwe and  Southern Africa region

• A minimum 5 years’ experience in providing technical quality assurance on GIS, hydrological, geological, and geographical studies.

• Capacity to put together a professional team to carry out assessment studies with similar complexity. The Consultancy Company  is expected to have a mix of skills relevant to the assignment relating to analytical capacity, and adequate reporting.

• Have excellent English writing/communication skills. 

• Ability to mobilize all the required equipment/instruments at the required time and place. 

• Demonstrated ability to work in a multi-cultural environment and ability to establish good and effective relationships with national stakeholders.

All the items listed below must be nested and submitted in one folder (technical and financial proposals should be submitted in different folders). Each file in the folder must have a distinct name so that one can easily tell its content even without opening it and reading through. 

Technical proposal based on the UNESCO template (Annex 1). The proposal should demonstrate understanding of the TORs and include the following:

• Company profile

• Proposed Methodology, Approach and Implementation Plan 

• Team composition and level of effort of each proposed team member (include CVs of each team member).

• Certificates of incorporation
• Demonstrated previous experience in similar assignments and traceable references 
• Audited Financial Statements for the past two years

Financial proposal based on UNESCO template (Annex 2). The financial proposal should be in United Stated Dollars. The budget should be prepared in sufficient detail to justify resource requirements, demonstrate cost-effectiveness and, as far as practicable, provide a breakdown of the resource requirements corresponding to the periods for which cash transfers will be made to the contractor.

Interested parties may submit a cover letter, CVs of team members and/or Company Profile together with a brief technical proposal (maximum 5 pages) and financial proposal and associated documents to vacancies.harare@unesco.org.

Please download the template in the Annexes below and quote "i. Groundwater Assessment - Binga – Be-Resilient Plus Zimbabwe- Technical Proposal ii. Groundwater Assessment Binga – Be-Resilient Plus Zimbabwe " in the email subject lines.  Submissions without proper referencing as given will be disqualified.

Annex 1 –  

Annex 2 – 

Closing date for applications: 7 February 2025

UNESCO DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS.

WOMEN CANDIDATES AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY