Feasibility and Viability Study for Implementing Blue-Green Infrastructure for Urban Resilience in Liberia.

The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), on behalf of Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) invites qualified interested firms to submit Expression of Interest (EOI) to participate in the upcoming solicitation for provision of technical assistance on feasibility and viability study of blue-green infrastructure in the city of Monrovia and the city of Paynesville by installing rain gardens to capture and harvest runoff/storm water. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on behalf of the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) requires the services of an institution to deliver the technical assistance as approved by National Designated Entity from Liberia. The objective of this Technical Assistance is to help define an approach to strengthen the resilience of the cities of Monrovia and Paynesville through the implementation of climate change adaptation actions promoting urban green infrastructure. The specific objectives will be: i) to develop a baseline study including a risk and vulnerability assessment, a barriers and challenges assessment and hydrological mapping ii) identify the sites in consultation with all stakeholders with specific recommendations of which type of raingarden to pilot with technical specifications iii) pilot and test the raingardens during two types of seasons to check its viability iv) provide an educational component, oriented towards the youngest and vulnerable populations in order to raise awareness among the general public on the importance of green infrastructure. Liberia has a 570 km long coastline and is vulnerable to climate variability and change including more extreme weather events such as heavy rains and rising sea levels. Liberia is one of the wettest countries in the world, with the heaviest rainfall occurring from May to October. Rainfall is highest along the coast, where a number of Liberia’s urban cities and settlements are located, including the capital Monrovia. It is impacted by the West African Monsoon with relative humidity reaching 90 to 100 % during the rainy season and 60-90 % during the dry season according to the World Bank. Due to its high number of rivers, catchments and aquifers as well as its low-lying coastal zone, changes to precipitation rates will likely result in high-risk flooding scenarios, including both urban and coastal flooding according to analysis done by the World Bank. Heavy rains, storm surges, sea level rise and increased erosion will put both urban and rural infrastructure at risk. Liberia has limited resilience and adaptive capacity to combat the effects of climate change. The low adaptive capacity is exacerbated by climate change impacts and Liberia still suffers from resource gaps and policy barriers to effectively tackle climate change. Its rapid urbanization has resulted in cities such as Monrovia and Paynesville which have large informal settlements located on the coast with inadequate resilience of the population to respond to adverse weather events, insufficient grey infrastructure which can lead to groundwater pollution during flooding events, and no green spaces to improve the health, mental wellbeing, and community gathering spaces of urban developments. Some of the expected outputs are: 1. Mandatory Output: Development of a work plan and related communication documents. 2. Developing a streering committee. 3. Develop a baseline study. 4. Piloting and testing rain gardens. 5. Closure workshop. The complete details of the requirement will be provided in the tender documents that will be issued to bidders after this request for EOI is closed.