Abstract:
This paper presents an assessment of the urban water security in a severe water stress area
using a semi-quantitative risk-based approach. Water security indicators are selected according to
the recommendations of international institutions, the literature review and the opinion of a panel
of water experts. Selected indicators cover three fields: water resources, water services and water
governance. The field of water resources is described by indicators related to the water resources
availability, annual precipitation and the ratio of treated water, while the water services field is
described by indicators related to the water service coverage, water losses and the continuity of
water supply. Water governance includes three indicators: role and responsibility, access to water
information and stakeholder engagement. Water security assessment is conducted in three stages:
(i) data collection for five Palestinian cities in the West Bank of Jordan, (ii) determination of the
risk score for each indicator using collected data and an expert’s opinion, (iii) determination of the
global water security score and water security index using the matrix risk assessment and the wise
weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) methods. Results show that water risk is ranked as
extreme for all cities. Risk related to water resources is a major contributor to global risk, followed by
water governance.
