Based on data envelopment analysis, water efficiency and productivity were measured with the aim of reducing water use in metropolises. Alternative measures of efficiency were evaluated and the productivity was decomposed into several components. The correlation between regional economic indices and water quantities was also analysed. For the case of water use in metropolitan Tehran, an average efficiency of 94% was measured and progress in total productivity was calculated to be 14%. The efficiency scores of other metropolises in Iran were calculated to be about 30–50% less than that of Tehran. Reasonable estimates for the threshold of water use in Tehran were obtained. This paper also presents the issues of the plans for improving water efficiency and productivity and increasing water availability for users. This work identified the significant effects of regional economic indices on water efficiency and productivity calculations in metropolises of Iran.
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