1. Background:
With the current political instability, economic volatility, the collapse of basic services, the uncertainty over continued international aid as a source of revenue, the disruptions to trade and finance, and the impacts of climate change on food production, the risks faced by the poor are becoming more intense and less predictable. It is estimated that as of August 2021, over half a million people have already been displaced by conflict, and thousands more affected by natural disasters. Up to 30 percent of the population is projected to be in either a food security crisis or emergency by the end of the year<a target="_blank" href="https://UNDP-my.sharepoint.com/personal/yinhom_nicole_chow_undp_org/Documents/UNDP%20AFG%20Procurement/PRC0187001%20RFQ856%20CFW%20Maiwand%20ACRP/RFQ856%20CFW%20Surbaghal%20Check%20Dam%20IH.docx#_ftn1″ rel=”noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer”>[1], and half of all children under five are already severely malnourished.
An innovative, inclusive, and highly flexible approach is needed, one that put people first targets the most vulnerable, and meets local needs by focusing on saving lives and livelihoods. UNDP is, therefore, adopting and leading a highly integrated yet decentralized approach to programming known as the Afghanistan Community Resilience Programme (ACRP)
In September 2024, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have jointly launched the Afghanistan Community Resilience Programme (ACRP), a two-year initiative running from 2024 to 2026. The ACRP was extended in September 2024 with an additional EUR 6 million in funding, and the implementation period was prolonged until September 2027. The programme will address the critical challenges faced by rural communities in Kandahar , Helmand , and Badghis provinces by enhancing sustainable livelihoods, improving food security, and building resilience to climate-related shocks.
Funded by a generous contribution of USD 23.2 million from the European Union, the ACRP aims to support over 116,000 vulnerable households. The programme’s key focus areas include increasing agricultural productivity, promoting diversified livelihoods, and strengthening market linkages. By improving the production of staple crops and high-value agricultural products, as well as livestock, the ACRP seeks to enhance food and nutrition security while boosting household incomes. Additionally, the programme will support the creation of employment opportunities through Cash-for-Work initiatives and the development of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The ACRP will address the urgent need for improved water resource management in these provinces. The programme plans to rehabilitate and construct community-based water projects, including check dams, irrigation canals, and other essential water-harvesting structures. These interventions will support agricultural production and provide alternative livelihoods for former poppy farmers. In doing so, the programme will help communities transition from emergency assistance to longer-term resilience, ensuring they are better equipped to face future challenges.
The ACRP will also establish or reactivate three community-level multi-hazard early warning systems in former poppy farming areas with high disaster risks. These systems will enhance community preparedness, protecting lives, livelihoods, and agricultural lands from floods and other devastating events.
The programme’s implementation will be guided by an inclusive and participatory approach, ensuring that the most vulnerable populations, including those without legal identity documents, benefit from its initiatives. The selection of households for support will be based on comprehensive vulnerability criteria developed in consultation with local communities, and relevant stakeholders. This approach will ensure that the programme effectively addresses the needs of those most affected by the ongoing challenges in Afghanistan, including climate change, economic instability, and the impacts of the poppy cultivation ban. The Cash-for-Work (CfW) modality under the Afghanistan Community Resilience Programme (ACRP) serves as both a critical livelihoods intervention and a risk‑mitigation instrument for communities facing economic and environmental vulnerability. By providing short‑term income support, CfW helps households meet immediate basic needs while reducing reliance on negative coping mechanisms during periods of instability. At the same time, the approach facilitates the creation or rehabilitation of essential community assets—such as irrigation canals, access roads, flood‑protection structures, and small-scale public infrastructure—that strengthen local resilience and contribute to longer-term productivity. During infrastructure implementation, CfW also supports stabilization by engaging community members in constructive, locally prioritized activities that enhance social cohesion, reduce implementation risks, and reinforce collective ownership of community development outcomes.
2. Project Area:
This project is located Surbaghal village, Maiwand District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
3. Nature of Contract:
Surbaghal is a village located in the arid lands of Maiwand District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. A floodway passes through Surbaghal village, flowing through Maiwand District agricultural lands and houses. Along its path, this floodway devastates agricultural lands and destroys ancient kariz water systems in Maiwand District.
The region is locked in a battle for survival. For generations, its 3710 residents in Surbaghal and nearby villages in Maiwand District relevant villages have relied on a delicate balance of water resources: the ancient underground kariz system, and newly borewells supplemented by seasonal rainwater runoff. However, a relentless drought has shattered this equilibrium, further threatening their way of life. Also the climate change causes unexpected heavy floods weeping all the karizes and water infrastructure along with agriculture lands in both districts.
The once-life-giving karizes has seen its flow reduced or filled with sediment of flood. Deep wells, dug in a desperate attempt to access declining groundwater, are drying up or yielding a small change. Faced with this harsh reality, many villagers have been forced to abandon their homes, fleeing to nearby cities in search of a new life.
Those who remained retain to a declining hope. Poppy cultivation, a traditional source of income, offered a miserable lifeline. However, a DFA ban on poppy farming has left their fields barren, the lack of water making alternative crops a gamble they cannot afford. The water table, once was in 30 meters below the ground, has downed to 100-150 meters, a testament to the severity of the drought.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) proposes the construction of a check dam, a vital structure designed to capture rainwater/flood and store it for later use. This sustainable solution could prevent/control the flood flash, revive the downstream karizes system, replenishing the village’s water wells and providing a lifeline for both drinking and irrigation.
The general expectations from this intervention are as follow:
- Sustainable Water Resources: The project aims to replenish the underground water table, ensuring a long-term water source for drinking and irrigation.
- Gravity Flow System: Depending on the technical feasibility, the reconstructed check dam could potentially contribute to elevating the water table as it did before, so both water wells and Karizes which is a gravity-fed water distribution system within the village, will be sustained.
- Sustainable Flood Devastation Control: with this structure the destructive flood will be blocked into the reservoir and transform to a vital element for farmlands, and downstream is safe from flood flashes.
By implementing this project, the specific goals below are determined:
· Secure a long-term water source for Surbaghal d/s villages.
· Allow the residents to remain in their homes and continue their traditional way of life.
· Potentially contributes to a sustainable gravity flow of water through the recharged Karizes.
· Strengthen the integration and synergy between previous project, this project, and planned interventions.
· Protect downstream houses and farms from flood flashes.
The main work under this RFQ will focus on achieving these goals.
A. Construction of 160 meters long Stone Masonry Check Dam with, with an overflow spillway, having the approximate capacity of reserving 200000 CUM or water in at once.
The completion of all the above construction items includes the following activities:
1. Excavation for foundation.
2. Stone masonry
3. Plastering and Pointing
4. Casting of PCC
5. Dry Stone Pitching
6. Joint filling
7. Gabion work
8. Etc.
4. Specific Objectives
The activities would contribute to the ACRP outcomes, outputs, and activity results, but the main objective of this project is to control the flood reserve into reservoir and replenish the underground water and final revive karize water through construction of Stone Masonry check dam.
· More than 3710 individuals (530 HHs) will benefit from this project receiving irrigation and drinking water through karize and water wells after replenishing.
· More than 730 Acres of farmland will receive sustainability in their irrigation water system.
· More than 800 Acres of farmland will be saved from flush floods along the flood way.
· CfW summary:
|
SN
|
Type of job created
|
Unit
|
quantity
|
wage/day (AFN)
|
Total wages (AFN)
|
|
1
|
skilled
|
labor-day
|
726
|
700
|
508200
|
|
2
|
unskilled
|
labor-day
|
3461
|
400
|
1384400
|
|
3
|
Supervisors
|
labor-day
|
180
|
700
|
126,000
|
|
|
Total
|
|
4367
|
|
2018600
|
5. Scope
This project shall be implemented based on scope of work, specifications, design, drawings, BoQs and general contract conditions, this project requires an experienced registered contractor to implement it on the ground, the contractor shall provide all labor, material tools, equipment, supervision services, QC and other related items required to complete the project as per the design, BoQ, scope of work and specifications.
The Contractor shall complete work, necessary to finish according to the drawings, contract, and good construction standards and norms. No change or revision should be made to the drawing, technical specification, and Bill of Quantity unless otherwise it is approved in writing by the UNDP in advance.
CfW implementation and documentation (beneficiary management, attendance, payments) form part of the contractor’s contractual obligations and will be assessed alongside physical works.
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