Non-revenue water (NRW) is a major challenge for urban water security in Jordan. Quantifying leakage and pinpointing the location of leaks are difficult tasks in intermittent supply systems. This study aims to provide a structured analysis to determine the volume of leakage and its components in Madaba's water distribution network. The study also offers recommendations to reduce the physical losses as an important component of water losses through an infrastructure, repair, economic, awareness and pressure (IREAP) framework as a way of systematically engaging the NRW challenge in Jordan. The real loss sub-components were analysed using Burst and Background Estimates (BABE), and field records of the failures in the network. The potential impact of interventions to reduce losses were measured for efficiency/efficacy by analysing pressure management, chronic leakage detection surveys and response time minimization. The findings showed that Madaba's NRW amounted to 3.5 million m 3 in 2014, corresponding to a loss of 2.8 million USD to the utility, of which 1.7 million USD is the cost of real losses. The reported failures in Madaba accounted for 37.2% of the total volume of real losses which can be improved by enhancing response polices and asset management, while the unreported failures constituted 26.6 and 36.20%, respectively, which could be reduced by pressure management and active leakage control.

Achieving urban water security is a major challenge for many countries. While several studies have assessed water security at a regional level, many studies have also emphasized the lack of assessment of water security and application of measures to achieve it at the urban level. Recent studies that have focused on measuring urban water security are not holistic, and there is still no agreed-upon understanding of how to operationalize and identify an assessment framework to measure the current state and dynamics of water security. At present, there is also no clearly defined and widely endorsed definition of urban water security. To address this challenge, this study provides a systematic approach to better understand urban water security, with a working definition and an assessment framework to be applied in peri-urban and urban areas. The proposed working definition of urban water security is based on the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goal on water and sanitation and the human rights on water and sanitation. It captures issues of urban-level technical, environmental, and socio-economic indicators that emphasize credibility, legitimacy, and salience. The assessment framework depends on four main dimensions to achieve urban water security: Drinking water and human beings, ecosystem, climate change and water-related hazards, and socio-economic factors (DECS). The framework further enables the analysis of relationships and trade-off between urbanization and water security, as well as between DECS indicators. Applying this framework will help governments, policy-makers, and water stakeholders to target scant resources more effectively and sustainably. The study reveals that achieving urban water security requires a holistic and integrated approach with collaborative stakeholders to provide a meaningful way to improve understanding and managing urban water security.

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.