Rather, it is the elite’s ease and abundance of access to water that depletes water sources for the rest of the population. These findings were published on April 10 this year in Nature Sustainability.
Dr Elisa Savelli, the head researcher, chose to focus on socioeconomic disparities as the comparison point after seeing how the day zero drought drastically affected poorer populations, while the wealthier strata were largely unaffected. The researchers found that the elite and upper middle classes, which make up fewer than 15% of households, account for 51.4% of all water consumption, public and private. These inequalities manifest in the types of amenities that people have available to them.
Within the same city, there are people who have pools and lavish gardens, as well as those without access to a proper tap within their household. These amenities contribute to water consumption numbers, as those without gardens or pools have less need for excessive water use.In order to change the practices of the rich, they have to participate in rebuilding a damaged society.