Amid a water shortage, the affluent few with massive swimming pools and well-maintained lawns have left the disadvantaged people in many cities globally without access to water, says a recent study.

Based on this recent research, societal disparities drive urban water issues more than environmental factors like climate change or urban population increase.

Water Shortage VS Swimming Pools

Published in the journal Nature Sustainability, the study on water shortage indicates that urban elites consume so much water in filling up their swimming pools, watering their gardens, or washing their cars.

The research team focused on Cape Town, South Africa, where an urban water crisis means many underprivileged people live without taps or toilets and use their limited water for drinking and hygiene.

They also highlighted similar issues in 80 cities worldwide, including London, Miami, Barcelona, Beijing, Tokyo, Melbourne, Istanbul, Cairo, Moscow, Bangalore, Chennai, Jakarta, Sydney, Maputo, Harare, Sao Paulo, Mexico City and Rome.

Professor Hannah Cloke, a hydrologist at the University of Reading who co-authored the study, said: “Climate change and population growth mean that water is becoming a more precious resource in big cities, but we have shown that social inequality is the biggest problem for poorer people getting access to water for their everyday needs.

“More than 80 big cities worldwide have suffered from water shortages due to droughts and unsustainable water use over the past 20 years, but our projections show this crisis could get worse still as the gap between the rich and the poor widens in many parts of the world,” she added.

Environmental Inequality

“This shows the close links between social, economic and environmental inequality. Ultimately, everyone will suffer the consequences unless we develop fairer ways to share water in cities,” Cloke said.

The research, led by Dr. Elisa Savelli at Uppsala University, Sweden, alongside co-authors from the University of Reading, UK, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands, and the University of Manchester, UK, used a model to analyze the domestic water use of urban residents in Cape Town to understand how different social classes consume water.

Currently, the researchers believe that efforts to manage water supplies in water-scarce cities mostly focus on technical solutions, such as developing more efficient water infrastructure.

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