As temperatures rise and droughts become more common, the wealthy are turning to swimming pools to beat the heat. But a new study suggests that all those pools are contributing to water crises in cities around the world. As the gap between the haves and have-nots widens, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the lifestyles of the rich are not just unsustainable, but are actively driving the planet towards disaster. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the impact of swimming pools on city water supplies, and what can be done to mitigate the damage.
A new analysis has found that the swimming pools, well-watered gardens, and clean cars of the wealthy are driving water crises in cities as much as the climate emergency or population growth. The study, published in the journal Nature Sustainability, states that the vast difference in water usage between rich and poor citizens has been largely overlooked in seeking solutions to water shortages, with the focus instead on attempts to increase water supply and higher prices for water. The researchers claim that the only way to protect water supplies is to redistribute water resources more equally.
The research used Cape Town in South Africa as a case study and found that the wealthiest people used 50 times more water than the poorest. When the Day Zero water crisis hit the city in 2018, after several years of drought, the poorest residents were left without enough water for their basic needs, the scientists said. The gap between rich and poor was reportedly the main problem for poorer people accessing enough water for their daily requirements.
The analysis reports that urban water crises are expected to become more frequent, with over a billion city dwellers experiencing water shortages in the near future. Since 2000, the study states that more than 80 large cities have experienced extreme drought and water shortages, including Miami, Melbourne, London, Barcelona, São Paulo, Beijing, Bengaluru, and Harare. The scientists claim that these crises will worsen if inequality in water distribution is not addressed.
The report also highlights that social inequality is the biggest problem for poorer people accessing enough water for their everyday needs. The study reveals that in Cape Town, the top 14% of the city’s population used 51% of the water consumed, while the poorest 62% only used 27% of the water, most of which was for basic needs. The analysis also found that changes in water usage by the wealthiest group had a more significant impact on overall water availability than changes in population or droughts related to the climate crisis. Furthermore, the use of private boreholes in times of shortage by the richest citizens substantially depleted groundwater resources.
The scientists claim that failing to account for social inequality in a water crisis often leads to technocratic solutions that merely reproduce the uneven and unsustainable water use patterns that contributed to the water crisis in the first place. The researchers say that society needs to agree on how to share the world’s most essential natural resource to address the crisis.
Prof Hannah Cloke, co-author of the new study and professor at the University of Reading, UK, said that climate change and population growth mean that water is becoming a more precious resource in big cities. However, the analysis shows that social inequality is the most significant problem facing poorer people trying to access water for their daily requirements. Prof Cloke said that the crisis could get worse, and everyone will suffer the consequences unless fairer ways to share water in cities are developed.
Prof Mariana Mazzucato, a lead author of the report from the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, said that we need a much more proactive and ambitious approach to the water crisis, putting justice and equity at the center of the problem. She believes that this issue is not just a technological or finance problem.
To summarise, the wealthy’s excessive use of water is driving water crises in cities, and inequality in water distribution is the most significant challenge facing those who cannot access enough water for their daily requirements. The researchers argue that society needs to agree on how to share this essential natural resource to address the crisis.
