'Due to stark socioeconomic inequalities, urban elites are able to overconsume water while excluding less-privileged populations from basic access,' new research shows.
"Over the past two decades, more than 80 metropolitan cities across the world have faced severe water shortages due to droughts and unsustainable water use," the study says."Future projections are even more alarming, since urban water crises are expected to escalate and most heavily affect those who are socially, economically, and politically disadvantaged."
Using the Socio-Economic Index created by the Western Cape Province, the scholars sorted Cape Town's population into five classes strewn across"a starkly segregated urban space": elite , upper-middle-income , lower-middle-income , lower income , and the residents of informal settlements on the city's edges .
"In addition, the results show that most of the water consumed by privileged social groups is used for non-basic water needs such as the irrigation of residential gardens, swimming pools, and additional water fixtures, both indoor and outdoor," the paper notes."Conversely, most of the water consumed by other social groups is used to satisfy basic water needs such as drinking water, hygiene practices, and basic livelihood.
"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 paper warns."Specifically, privileged water consumption is unsustainable because in the short term, it disproportionally uses the water available for the entire urban population.
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