Upon request from RTI-International for his advisory services, our Executive Director, Dr. Faraj El Awar, contributed to a project document (proposal) entitled “Water, Sanitation, and Conservation” (WSC), which was prepared by the consortium comprised of RTI-International, CDM-Smith, and DAR-Lebanon, in response to a request for proposals (RFP) by USAID/Lebanon in support of the Lebanese water and sanitation sector. 

Project Scope of Work:

The main objective of the WSC project, as presented in the request for proposals (RFP) by the UASAID Lebanon Office is to enhance the conservation and protection of Lebanon’s water resources and the reliability of public water and sanitation services through:  (1) expanding the capacity of wastewater and sanitation management; (2) increasing the efficiency of public water utilities to improve their capacity in service delivery and water resources management; and (3) enhancing citizens’ water stewardship. 

WSC called for collaborating with the four Lebanese regional water establishments (RWEs) and the Litani River Authority (LRA), in coordination with local communities, to assess the needs of the RWEs, LRA, and selected communities and identify a list of interventions to treat, collect, and manage wastewater to the environmental standards set by the Lebanese Ministry of Environment (MoE). Interventions also include the improvement of potable water quality and protection of potable water systems and resources. The WSC project RFP called also to complement the Government of Lebanon (GOL) master plans and capital investment plans in the water sector.

Project Results:

Dr. El Awar executed the following tasks:

• Conducted a comprehensive review of background documents on the Lebanese water sector governance, and the international interventions in support of the sector. 
• Participated in the team meetings of the proposal writing team and led the discussions on the governance component of the proposal. 
• Provided technical input and drafted the governance component of the WSC project document in close collaboration with the RTI-International Technical Writer, Dr. Dennis Mwanza. 

The water sector governance component of the WSC project document (the proposal) presented the institutional support needs for the sector’s main institutions, namely the Ministry of Energy and Water, the Regional Water Establishments, and the Litani River Authority. Priority was given to the RWEs that need institutional capacity development and technical assistance in performance improvement, legal standing and independence, as well as internal governance. Empowering the RWEs to be involved in capital investment planning and implementation, such as replacement or extension of water networks and building of sewage treatment plants was highlighted as a necessary measure that should be taken by the WSC project. Supporting Lebanese RWEs to enhance their institutional and technical capacity in sanitation management was highlighted in the project document as well. 

Project Client: RTI-International

Project Donor: USAID