Institutional Capacity Assessment and Institutional Development Training for Water and Wastewater Unit within JSCPD in West Bethlehem .

Project Overview

The World Bank considered one of the key active donors in the Palestinian water and wastewater sector. In August 2012, it has approved the provision of around ($US 3,650,000) through its State and Peace-building Fund to finance a new development project entitled “Water Supply and Sanitation Improvements for West Bethlehem Villages” is supposed to last for 36 months.The project aimed mainly to improve, through a pilot project, the delivery of water and the planning of wastewater services in targeted five rural communities (Battir, Nahhalin, Husan, Wadi Fukin, Walajeh) that are marginalized due to mobility restrictions in West Bethlehem region. That in response to problems facing these rural communities which including among others: environmental and human health issues due to the pollution of springs.To this end, PWA is intend to contract with consulting firm to undertake an assignment entitled “Institutional Capacity Assessment and Institutional Development Training- Water and Wastewater Unit within JSCPD in West Bethlehem”. The main objective of this assignment is to assess the current capabilities and needs of the JSCPD and principally its new established water and wastewater unit (WWU) in terms of (institutional & administrative, technical and financial) aspects, with respect to its ability to sustainably plan, manage, operate and maintain water and sanitation system and services. This assignment will contribute in achieving the overall objective of the project under the Capacity Building Component, which represented by the improvement and enhancement the capacity of JSCPD/ WWU to plan, manage, operate, and maintain water and wastewater system and services, as measured by the preparation of a business plan (a tariff structure that aims at full recovery of O&M costs, and a tariff collection rate of at least 80%), in order to reduce reliance on subsidies.