Assessing Water Security in Water-Scarce Cities: Applying the Integrated Urban Water Security Index (IUWSI) in Madaba, Jordan

Hassan Tolba Aboelnga,Lars Ribbe,Hazim El-Naser,Franz-Bernd Frechen

doi:10.3390/w12051299

Hassan Tolba Aboelnga, Lars Ribbe + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/w12051299

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Abstract

Water security is a major concern for water-scarce cities that face dynamic water challenges due to limited water supply, climate change and increasing water demand. Framing urban water security is challenging due to the complexity and uncertainties of the definitions and assessment frameworks concerning urban water security. Several studies have assessed water security by granting priority indicators equal weight without considering or adapting to the local conditions. This study develops a new urban water security assessment framework with application to the water-scarce city of Madaba, Jordan. The study applies the new assessment framework on the study area and measures urban water security using the integrated urban water security index (IUWSI) and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) as a decision management tool to prioritise and distinguish indicators that affect the four dimensions of urban water security: drinking water, ecosystems, climate change and water-related hazards, and socioeconomic aspects (DECS). The integrated urban water security index (IUWSI) highlights the state of water security and intervention strategies in Madaba. The study reveals that urban water security in Madaba is satisfactory to meet basic needs, with shortcomings in some aspects of the DECS. However, Madaba faces poor security in terms of managing climate- and water-related risks. The IUWSI framework assists with a rational and evidence-based decision-making process, which is important for enhancing water resources management in water-scarce cities.

Highlights

Water security is widely recognised by policy makers and academics as a global risk and policy challenge that transcends national security, endangers the health and livelihoods of vulnerable communities, and matters to global security [1,2,3,4]
It is clear that there are a plethora of issues that can help explain the current urban water security figures in Madaba
This study develops a systematic approach to study the dynamics of urban water security using the integrated urban water security index (IUWSI) in the water-scarce city of Madaba, Jordan

Summary

Introduction

Water security is widely recognised by policy makers and academics as a global risk and policy challenge that transcends national security, endangers the health and livelihoods of vulnerable communities, and matters to global security [1,2,3,4]. Since water security is a multifaceted challenge, the concept of water security is viewed from diverse perspectives that cannot be reconciled [5,6]. It can generally be seen as the umbrella goal of water resources management toward sustainable development thinking with the focus on meeting water demand for societal and ecological needs [7,8,9]. The urban population has risen dramatically from 751 million (1950) to 4.2 billion (2018) [11,12] This trend is expected to continue, such that, by 2050, two-thirds of the world’s population will live in cities, and by

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