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Tribune News Network
Doha
Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the most sustainable cities for water in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, according to Arcadis' Sustainable Cities Water Index.
The index, conducted by Arcadis in partnership with the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), explores water sustainability of 50 cities across the world based on its robust (resiliency), effective (efficiency) and healthy (quality) water environment.
The index puts Doha in 41st position, higher than Jeddah (42). Dubai is ranked 32.
The resiliency sub-index reflected the level of readiness of a city to address water shortage and water excess issues, protect citizens from floods, and draught by securing clean water supplies.
The efficiency sub-index assessed whether there were leakages in water distribution and how a city manages wastewater and sanitation. Finally, the quality sub-index assessed how healthy, clean and safe the water of a city is.
Sameer Daoud, Global Business leader Water at Arcadis Middle East said:"Water demand is rising, aquifers are being depleted and the threat of extreme weather is increasingly real, meaning that cities in the region can be stressed without enough water. Our water index highlights the areas of opportunity for cities to inform decision-making around how they use and manage water, hopefully making them more sustainable economically, environmentally and for the benefit of people."
The Sustainable Cities Index also explores the three demands of People, Planet and Profit to develop an indicative ranking of 50 of the world's leading cities.
Based on People index, Doha is ranked 34th, higher than Jeddah (37) and Riyadh (42)
Doha also occupies 30th position in terms of Profit, ahead of Abu Dhabi (34 ), Jeddah (41) and Riyadh (44).
The index underlines agenda to achieve excellence in the delivery of high quality, cost effective, safe and environmentally-compliant sewage systems.
Likewise, Dubai is investing in rainwater harvesting to ensure water security across the city.
