It's a Bit Rich!

Excessive usage of water by the rich, makes a major contribution to water crises in the world's cities. It has, at least, as much impact as climate change and population growth (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/10/swimming-pools-rich-driving-city-water-crises). A article in the journal Nature Sustainability used Cape Town (South Africa) as an exemplar. The study found that the richest group (14% of the city population), used 51% of the water consumed. The poorest group (62% of that population), used just 27%. Most of the water, used by the richest group, was for non-basic needs (filling swimming pools, watering gardens and washing cars). After several years of drought, things came to a head in 2018 in Cape Town, when the poorest were left with insufficient water for even basic needs. Cape Town is not unique. Eighty big cities, across the globe, have experienced extreme drought and water shortages. They include, for example, Barcelona, Beijing, Bengaluru, Harare, London, Melbourne, Miami and Sao Paulo. The study's authors predict that, as water crises become more frequent, more than 1 billion city dwellers will be impacted. Reducing excessive water consumption by the rich must be part of attempts to deal with such situations.