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Water out of thin air?

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Posted on December 31, 2010 by ecoadmin 

WaterHarvesting water on a mountain pass!

In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, people are forced to travel long distances and spend hours at a time collecting the water needed for cooking and drinking from far away streams or wells, writes Danielle Nierenberg, Nourishing the Planet Co-Project director. But the residents of Cabazane, South Africa have found a much less labour intensive alternative. They use gravity and let water come to them.

With the help of a team of scientists lead by Jana Olivier from the University of South Africa’s School of Agriculture and Environmental Studies, featured on AlterNet last month, the residents of Cabazane are using nets strung up across a nearby mountain pass to harvest water from the air.

Built at an altitude of 1,600 meters, steel cables held by wood posts support the two layers of shade clothe nets used to catch tiny droplets of water from the passing mountain fog near Brooks Nek Pass. The drops of water create run-off that is caught in gutters built at the bottom of the nets. This water is then carried by tubes down the side of the mountain and to the village. With each square meter of netting providing up to five litres of water per day, Cabazane can collect hundreds of liters on a good day.

And, most importantly, coming from the clouds, the water is very clean—an especially valuable commodity in area previously suffering from water shortages. The nearest stream to the village is two kilometers away and contaminated by animal use. Residents who used the stream were often exposed to water-borne diseases.

Once dams were used to collect water in the area, but extreme drought has even dried up this source.

Now the villagers not only have a steady supply of clean water, they have enough of it to store in newly constructed tanks. The netting also provides the additional benefit of being completely gravity-driven. No electricity is needed to power this innovation, making it affordable and environmentally friendly, and the technology is simple enough that maintenance is relatively easy.

More information: www.worldwatch.org

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One Response to “Water out of thin air?”

  1. ecoadmin says:

    December 31st, 2010 at 11:01 am
     

    The residents of Cabazane, South Africa have found a much less labour intensive alternative. They use gravity and let water come to them.

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