FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR THE REHABILITATION OF OLD DAMS AND CONSTRUCTION OF NEW DAMS IN HUDUR TOWN, SOMALIA

Background to the Consultancy Assignment

Action Against Hunger has been operating in Somalia since 1992, with current bases in Mogadishu, Garowe, Hudur, Eyl, Elbarde, Wajid and Yeed/Rab-Dhuure. Areas of interventions are nutrition, health, food security and WASH. In 2019 alone, Action Against Hunger programmes in Somalia reached 697,648people through integrated programmes. 213,522 benefitted from WASH interventions^[1].

Currently, Against Hunger is an active member or a leading some of the major consortiums working on nutrition and resilience in Somalia. These include Building Resilient Communities in Somalia (BRiCS) and Somalia Resilience Programme (SomRep). The overall objective of these two programmes is to improve and strengthen the resilience of communities including internally displaced households in Somalia through integrated programming.

One of the areas targeted by Action Against Hunger is Hudur Town in Bakool Region. The town is prone to recurrent flooding; resilience building in the town therefore requires putting in place appropriate flood control and management measures and as well as improving access to flood resilient WASH infrastructure. In order to achieve this, Action Against Hunger intends to work with local authorities to rehabilitate old dams and to support construction of new dams in the town.

Description of Hudur Town

Hudur town is the administrative capital of Bakool region, Hudur lies approximately 420 km South West from Mogadishu, 130 km North of Baidoa and 200 km from Belet Weyne. It is located at the junction of inter-regional roads: in the North-West, to El Berde and, the Ethiopian border, through Yeed; in the South, a 130 km road links to Baidoa, capital of Bay region; on the East, to Tieglow and Hirshabelle via Belet Weyne and Wajid to the South West. The town is in a flat rocky plain at 480 m above sea level. According to UNDP survey in 2014, Hudur has about 110,003 inhabitants^[2] and it’s occupies an area of 5,538Km².

Hudur town comprises of five urban villages (4 sections per village), each headed by a village leader and committee members with specific structures and roles. Buulow: North, Moorogaabey: North-West, Sheikh-aweys: South-West, Horseed: South, Shiidle, West.

In the last fifteen years the urban growth has not followed any particular direction but instead it has steadily sprawled around the town. The resulting pattern is characterized by a low-density development without a clear hierarchy or a regular street pattern with poor accessibility. A gradually improving situation in the region might result in higher migration and increased natural population growth. Without actions to regulate and manage the way new construction will take place, Hudur is likely to suffer increased urban fragmentation, illegal occupation, land disputes and difficulties to provide basic services and infrastructure.

The livelihood activities of the majority of people in Hudur town and the Bakool region as a whole largely depend on livestock rearing and farming. More than 80 % of the population is engaged in these activities. Farming is, however, practiced seasonally, depending on the weather conditions. The main crops produced include cereals (maize and sorghum), beans, simsim and fruits and vegetables (pawpaw, tomatoes, watermelon, onions, and pumpkins).

The town has one main market, Suuq Weyne which acts as both a wholesale and retail trading center. The market is centrally located and has some modern structure. Besides this, there are also other small-scale retail shops in the villages that serve the daily needs of the communities. Hudur has also a livestock market. Within the town, there is also a presence of many small-scale business and menial labor jobs. Despite relative stability and peace in the town, the economy is affected by blocking of access roads in the hinterland as Al Shabaab controls main supply routes in the region and imposes taxes and tariffs. Many goods are airlifted, either from Baidoa or from Mogadishu. This limited accessibility highly affects commodities prices and prevents the recovery of the local economy. Employment opportunities are very limited.

Access to potable water in the town is one of the main challenges due to a combination of factors; arid climate, low ground water potential, human-induced conflicts and a concentration of good aquifers in few locations (Bullow village). There are 419 water sources in Hudur District and most of the permanent water points (Shallow wells & borehole) are concentrated in Hudur town while the rural population mainly relies on rain water harvesting. Of the 419, a total of 345 water points are functional and the remaining 74 water sources are non-functional. During the dry season, 46% of Hudur district rural population is not covered by a water source since majority of the rural population relies on non-permanent water sources and have to trek for an average of 13km to access water from Hudur town. Sanitation access for the urban population stands at 75%^[3] while the major gap is for the rural population where only 45% have access to basic sanitation. Open defecation is thus practiced by a majority of the rural population.

Objective of the consultancy assignment

The specific objectives of this assignment are:

• Conduct a technical feasibility study for the rehabilitation of existing dams along Bullow seasonal river channel in Hudur Town; the aim is to increase water storage capacity.
• Conduct a technical feasibility study for construction of a new dams in Hudur Town

Note: the primary purpose for the dams is flood control and provision of water for irrigation, but the design should factor in current and future water demand for the town.

Expected deliverable

The following will be the main expected deliverables from the assignment requested

Phase 1: Scoping phase

• Mapping of existing water storage infrastructure (dams/water pans) including technical description on current status of each infrastructure (condition of the dam embankments, siltation, weirs, and spillways) etc.
• Map the catchments/watersheds for the seasonal river and conduct hydrological analysis to estimate surface run-off based on available data.
• Conduct preliminary topographical analysis and develop the topographical map of the existing dams/pans, and other infrastructure;
• Propose flood control measures
• Propose additional technical investigations/studies to be carried out

Phase 2: Detailed feasibility study

Should the project be approved the next step would be to carry the detailed design work. This stage should include, but not limited to, the following activities;

For dams to be rehabilitated;

• Detailed Design, including:
  • Topographical study;
  • Field Investigation and test on the dam site (Geological study on embankment and foundation conditions);
  • Review of the local material available at the dam site;
  • Environmental impact and siltation control;
  • Reservoir capacity investigation;
  • Seepage control analysis;
  • Economic/cost benefit analysis;
  • Drafting of the final technical document (Design and Bill of Quantities) of the rehabilitation works
• Engineering specification;
• Work Plan, Bill of Quantities;
• Drafting of the Tender/procurement Dossier

For new dams to be constructed

• Detailed Design, including:
  • Topographic survey of the embankment area and surroundings,
  • production of a detailed contour plan in electronic format;
  • Building a hydrological catchment model; Running analysis of catchment model
  • Confirmation of embankment length and elevation;
  • Soil testing and burrow pit identification;
  • Design solution optimization;
• Engineering specification; Production of detailed technical drawings using computer aided design;
• Work Plan, Bill of Quantities;
• Drafting of the Tender/procurement Dossier

Duration of the assignment

The duration for the consultancy will be approximately two months from the date of signing the agreement. A proposed initial work and travel plan will be discussed during the initial consultation meeting.

Expertise required

• A masters degree in civil or water engineering is required, as well as a good field experience in hydraulic engineering, especially in dams, flood control, water storage and reservoirs in rural areas of developing countries.

Interested applicants can send their CV, a financial offer and a detailed work plan of the consultancy to email:   procurement@so-actionagainsthunger.org by 12^th September 2020 4:00pm EAT.

[1] Action Against Hunger USA 2019 Draft Snapshot Report, April 2020

[2] UNDP survey 2014

[3] ACF KAP survey 2019