Unfortunately, the NPR report is misrepresenting the issue. The study in question is about the allocation of the water that actually makes it to the urban cente

Unfortunately, the NPR report is misrepresenting the issue. The study in question is about the allocation of the water that actually makes it to the urban centers of a city for rich and poor, not urban impact on the total water supply in the region (which is primarily consumed by agricultural and industrial processes). The study highlights how inequality in urban water distribution exacerbates a water crisis (and it gets really bad - I saw the effects in Cape Town, site of the study itself). The author of the article (Emily Olson) is on a three month assignment, with her only other experience a 3 month internship for a rural newspaper.