USAID/Pakistan Inclusive Water Governance Activity (IWGA) | 72039125RFA00002

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - USAID/Pakistan Inclusive Water Governance Activity (IWGA)

1) What is the USAID/Pakistan Inclusive Water Governance Activity (IWGA)?

IWGA is a USAID/Islamabad grant opportunity focused on improving how water is governed and managed in Pakistan. It emphasizes that both flood risk and water scarcity are closely tied to governance: how decisions are made, how institutions coordinate, and whether planning, financing, and service delivery systems function in an inclusive and sustainable way.

2) What problem is this grant trying to address?

The opportunity targets two overlapping pressures on Pakistan's water sector: increasingly frequent and damaging floods, and ongoing water scarcity. It frames climate change as a stress multiplier because rainfall and runoff patterns are becoming less predictable, making Pakistan's water balance harder to manage.

3) Why does the opportunity treat floods and water scarcity together?

IWGA highlights that flooding and scarcity are not separate problems in practice. Both are influenced by governance and institutional performance, including coordination across agencies, planning systems, financial systems, and the quality and use of data in decision-making.

4) What does the opportunity mean by "water governance" in this context?

Based on the opportunity description, water governance refers to the rules, institutions, coordination mechanisms, operational procedures, planning practices, data use, and financial foundations that shape how water is managed and how services are delivered. The opportunity argues that persistent sector barriers are often governance-related, not only technical.

5) What governance challenges in Pakistan's water sector does IWGA highlight?

The opportunity notes multiple bottlenecks documented in the literature, including narrow mandates and limited capacity among key water institutions, weak or ineffective operational procedures, fragmented responsibilities across agencies, lack of systematic planning, and inadequate financial systems.

6) What are the practical consequences of these governance gaps?

The opportunity links governance weaknesses to poor coordination among stakeholders, limited and unreliable data for decision-making, inadequate water service delivery, and financially unsustainable water systems. These gaps are presented as key reasons floodwaters are mismanaged and why resilience investments in the water sector often underperform.

7) What are the priority areas under IWGA?

The opportunity identifies three areas described as critically important but under-resourced: management of hill torrents, urban groundwater recharge, and rural water storage. The opportunity presents governance improvement as the enabling factor to make progress in all three areas more durable and equitable.

8) What are hill torrents, and why are they emphasized?

Hill torrents are highlighted because they can cause sudden and severe flooding in vulnerable regions. The opportunity indicates these require better planning, coordination, and locally workable mechanisms to reduce harm and capture potential benefits.

9) Why is urban groundwater recharge included as a focus area?

Urban groundwater recharge is emphasized because cities facing water stress often depend heavily on groundwater, yet recharge and protection of aquifers are frequently overlooked or poorly governed. IWGA signals that governance improvements can help address these gaps.

10) Why does the opportunity focus on rural water storage?

Rural water storage is included because communities need practical ways to retain water for dry periods and reduce vulnerability to rainfall variability. The opportunity notes that doing this at scale typically depends on clear institutional roles, effective local participation, and sustainable financing and maintenance models.

11) What kind of award instrument is IWGA?

IWGA is solicited as a Cooperative Agreement. This indicates USAID expects substantial involvement during implementation, such as collaboration on technical direction, monitoring, and adaptive management.

12) What does "substantial involvement" by USAID generally imply for this activity?

As described in the opportunity, USAID's role typically includes collaboration during implementation on items like technical direction, monitoring, and adaptive management, rather than a fully hands-off relationship.

13) What is the funding opportunity number for IWGA?

The funding opportunity number is 72039125RFA00002.

14) What is the CFDA listing for this opportunity?

The activity is listed under CFDA 98.001.

15) What is the maximum funding amount available under this opportunity?

The award ceiling is USD 14,000,000.

16) When is the application deadline?

The original closing date for applications is February 6, 2025.

17) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is explicitly restricted to local Pakistani organizations or local Pakistani entities.

18) Are international organizations eligible to apply directly?

Based on the information provided, eligibility is restricted to local Pakistani organizations or local Pakistani entities, which indicates international organizations are not eligible to apply directly under this restriction.

19) Why is eligibility limited to local Pakistani organizations/entities?

The opportunity aligns this restriction with its emphasis on locally led, inclusive policy and implementation mechanisms. It implies applicants are expected to be rooted in Pakistan's institutional and community context and positioned to convene stakeholders, work with government counterparts, and build solutions that can be maintained beyond the life of the award.

20) What is the role of climate change in this opportunity's design?

The opportunity describes climate change as a major stress multiplier. It notes that shifting and less predictable rainfall and runoff patterns are making Pakistan's already fragile water balance harder to manage, increasing the urgency of stronger governance and management systems.

21) What types of activities does the opportunity category suggest?

The opportunity and activity categories are listed as "Other." The description indicates this often signals a cross-cutting program that may blend policy support, institutional strengthening, coordination mechanisms, and on-the-ground pilots rather than fitting neatly into a single sector label.

22) What does IWGA aim to improve across the water sector?

Overall, IWGA is aimed at strengthening the rules, coordination, data use, institutional capacity, and financial foundations that determine whether Pakistan can manage flood risk and water scarcity more effectively under climate uncertainty.

23) How does the opportunity connect governance improvements to better flood management?

The opportunity argues that governance gaps contribute to floodwaters being mismanaged. By improving coordination, planning, operational procedures, data use, and institutional roles, the activity is positioned to help make flood risk management more effective.

24) How does the opportunity connect governance improvements to better water service delivery?

The opportunity states that governance weaknesses lead to inadequate water service delivery and financially unsustainable systems. Strengthening institutional capacity, financial systems, and planning is presented as a way to improve performance and sustainability.

25) What does "inclusive" mean in the activity name based on the description?

Based on the information provided, "inclusive" is tied to locally led mechanisms and inclusive policy and implementation approaches, implying engagement and participation that are rooted in local institutional and community contexts.