Urban water crises are driven in large part by “unsustainable consumption” on the part of elite city residents, such as their swimming pools and well-watered gardens, according to a new study.
The research, published in Nature Sustainability, used Cape Town in South Africa to study the consumption habits of wealthier city-dwellers compared to poorer ones. It found that the richest 14 percent of people used more than 51 percent of the water, fueling water problems “at least as much as climate change or population growth.”
“While benefiting a privileged minority, this political–economic system is unsustainable because it reduces the availability of natural resources for the less-advantaged population and causes various forms of environmental degradation,” the study reads.
The richest people in Cape Town reportedly used more than 50 times as much water compared to the poorest. The elite households in the city averaged 2,161 liters of water per day, and the upper-middle-income households reached about 988.78 liters per day, according to the analysis. On the other hand, lower-income households use only 178 liters per day, and informal households — those who live in the “shacks of the informal settlements” near the city borders — consume 41 liters a day.
The elite and upper-middle-income groups used a disproportionate amount of their water for amenities, including swimming pools, watering their gardens and other outdoor and indoor fixtures that were classified as “non-basic” water needs.
The lower-income and informal households used a greater portion of their water for drinking, hygiene and “basic livelihood,” according to the study.
“Overall, these results support the argument that domestic water consumption in unequal urban areas such as Cape Town is likely to become unsustainable as a result of excessive consumption among privileged social groups,” the study reads.

Thehill