10000203_II - Consultancy on Drainage Water Reuse

The objective of this assignment is to support the Ministry of Water Resources in identifying and prioritising technically, environmentally, and economically feasible options for the reuse of drainage water in the Hillah River System and to prepare a concept for two pilot projects that can serve as a demonstration for future replication.

The contractor is responsible for providing the following work packages and for achieving the corresponding milestones:

Work package 1: Assessment of irrigation practices and drainage-water generation

The contractor is responsible for conducting a comprehensive assessment of current irrigation systems and their relationship to drainage-water generation in the Hillah River System. This includes reviewing existing irrigation methods such as surface, sprinkler, and drip irrigation including the (efficient) use of fertilizer; quantifying irrigation efficiency and related drainage-water volumes and qualities; and analysing the institutional management of irrigation operations.

The contractor shall perform a scenario analysis comparing current and improved irrigation and fertilizing practices and quantify how increased irrigation efficiency and better use of fertilizer would affect the volume and quality of drainage water.

The analysis shall include different scenarios for climate adaptation measures. The results shall be visualised in maps and datasets to be included in the (designed) Information System with the Hillah River Information System (Outcome Indicator).

Work package 2: Identification and prioritisation of reuse options and treatment technologies

GIZ shall provide the contractor with a baseline assessment identifying feasible end-uses for treated drainage water, including agricultural reuse, aquaculture, industrial applications, landscape irrigation, and groundwater recharge. The baseline assessment will also include a review of relevant international and regional experiences (e.g. Jordan, Egypt, Iran, and FAO"s WaPOR programme) and initial lessons learned applicable to the Iraqi context.

The contractor shall build upon and complete the baseline assessment provided by GIZ by validating and further developing the identified drainage water reuse options relevant to the Iraqi context. This includes assessing a range of conventional treatment technologies as well as nature-based solutions (NbS) suitable for high-salinity and contaminated drainage water in arid environments, using a multi-criteria approach that considers technical feasibility, operational requirements, costs, environmental risks, and institutional capacities.

Different potential options (managerial, biological, physical, non-physical) should be discussed and presented in an "option report".

The contractor shall ensure that MoWR and key institutions are engaged throughout the assessment process as part of a structured capacity development approach. As part of this process, the contractor shall facilitate targeted learning and exchange activities. These include the organisation of a study tour for MoWR to visit relevant international or regional good practices, as well as an international seminar or conference in Baghdad in which international and regional actors present their experiences and discuss their applicability to the Iraqi context. The contractor shall prepare a bilingual publication summarising these experiences and the insights obtained.

In addition, the contractor shall design and deliver two training courses in close cooperation with the MoWR Training Center:

(i) a foundational training course on treatment technologies for drainage water reuse, covering technical principles, performance, and operational aspects; and

(ii) an advanced training course focusing specifically on drainage water reuse concepts and Nature-based Solutions (NbS), including design considerations, applicability in arid environments, and integration into water management planning.

The consultant together with the GIZ team will support the MoWR in identifying 2 pilot projects to be implemented in the Hilla River area.

Work package 3: Preparation of pilot project concepts

Building on the findings of the previous work packages, the contractor shall support the development of a pre-fesibility (PFS) and a definitive feasibility study (DFS) for two pilot demonstration solutions. This task includes together with the GIZ team and the counterpart identifying suitable pilot locations based on hydrological, land-use, and environmental criteria; proposing a treatment and reuse scheme; and estimating costs and requirements, and potential financing options.

The contractor shall analyze the financing criteria, eligibility requirements, and procedural steps of BMZ and EU co-financing instruments relevant to the implementation of pilot projects on drainage water reuse. Based on this analysis, the contractor shall develop and assess two distinct pilot project options:

- a small-scale pilot project designed to comply with BMZ funding criteria, with an indicative financing volume of up to EUR 1 million (up to feasibility level); and

- a larger-scale pilot project designed to comply with EU financing criteria, with an indicative financing volume of up to EUR 25 million (up to pre-feasibility level).

For the implementation of these tasks, the tenderer is required to provide 4 core experts (1 team leader and 3 technical experts with a total of 330 expert days).