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Four Saudi Cities Rank High on IMD Smart City Index

General view of Riyadh city in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 7, 2020. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri
General view of Riyadh city in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 7, 2020. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri
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Four Saudi Cities Rank High on IMD Smart City Index

General view of Riyadh city in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 7, 2020. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri
General view of Riyadh city in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 7, 2020. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri

Riyadh has maintained its position as the 3rd Arab city in the IMD Smart City Index (SCI) 2023, which saw for the first time the Saudi cities of Makkah, Jeddah, and Madinah included in the index, ranking the 4th, 5th and 7th respectively.

At the global level, Riyadh, Makkah, Jeddah, and Madinah have ranked 30th, 52nd, 56th, and 85th respectively out of the 141 cities included in the index produced by The Smart City Observatory, which seeks to find out how technology is enabling cities to achieve a higher quality of life for their inhabitants.

This year’s IMD index has focused on the population’s realization of the impact of the smart technology systems their cities employ to improve their lives and the extent of balance they achieve between the economic and technological dimensions and the humanitarian factor.

The improvement in the Saudi cities’ ranking in the index was the result of collaborative efforts of all concerned agencies, including the National Smart City Platform, launched by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA).

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Drought Has Dried Major Amazon River Tributary to Lowest Level in over 122 Years

A part of the Negro River is dry at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP)
A part of the Negro River is dry at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP)
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Drought Has Dried Major Amazon River Tributary to Lowest Level in over 122 Years

A part of the Negro River is dry at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP)
A part of the Negro River is dry at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP)

One of the Amazon River's main tributaries has dropped to its lowest level ever recorded, Brazil's geological service said Friday, reflecting a severe drought that has devastated the Amazon rainforest and other parts of the country.

The level of the Negro River at the port of Manaus was at 12.66 meters on Friday, as compared with a normal level of about 21 meters. It is the lowest since measurements started 122 years ago.

The previous record low level was recorded last year, but toward the end of October.

The Negro River's water level might drop even more in coming weeks based on forecasts for low rainfall in upstream regions, according to the geological service's predictions.

Andre Martinelli, the agency's hydrology manager in Manaus, was quoted as saying the river was expected to continue receding until the end of the month.

Water levels in Brazil's Amazon always rise and fall with its rainy and dry seasons, but the dry portion of this year has been much worse than usual.

All of the major rivers in the Amazon basin are at critical levels, including the Madeira River, the Amazon River's longest tributary.

The Negro River drains about 10% of the Amazon basin and is the world's sixth-largest by water volume. Manaus, the biggest city in the rainforest, is where the Negro joins the Amazon River.

For locals, the drought has made basic daily activities impossible. Gracita Barbosa, 28, works as a cashier on a floating shop on the Negro River.

She's out of work because boats that once stopped there can no longer navigate the river due to the low water levels.

Barbosa can no longer bathe in the river and now has to travel longer distances to collect drinking water.