Wednesday 3 June 2009

Harvesting fog

Photo WaterAid/Brent Stirton

People can harvest fog.  With the help of simple but innovative technology, tiny water droplets are trapped as the mountain fog passes through a plastic mesh, which is stretched between two poles. The water trickles down and is collected in a trough below and stored in tanks, providing enough clean and safe water for a whole village.

The advantages are:

· It doesn't cost a great deal to set up, operate or maintain.
· It is constructed in modules, so allowing it to be enlarged at a later stage.
· It has no significant impact on the environment.

There are some disadvantes too:

· It isn't suitable for everywhere.
· It's not very pretty.

There are high-tech versions connected to the internet, intended for people exploring wilderness, but the same idea can be used to help people in the poorest parts of the world, people who aren't just playing at survival, who live in real wildernesses.

4 comments:

  1. That is so cool. Of course here in SF we automatically have for 24/7 :)

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  2. A What a clever idea (simple as well) living in a country where we occasionally have water supply problems I am much more careful of using this precious commodity.

    Locally Thais harvest rainwater by running down pipes from guttering and keeping the water in large concrete jars. Capped to ensure mosquitoes can't breed it provides a clean(we live near the sea and there is no local heavy industry) and free source of water

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  3. I was thinking when I saw the title, that this was a spoof but to my surprise it wasn't which just goes to prove that someone out there is a heck of an inventor to have found this out and the benefits to humankind are vast.

    Makes you wonder why that sort of person can't run the world, never mind a country.. we might have a vacancy soon enough... :-)

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  4. @Shutterbug, I'd forgotten about your fogs!

    @Mike, that sounds enterprising! Water is something so many of us take completely for granted.

    @Sage, I know what you mean, it sounds so unlikely! I wish I had the sort of mind that could think of that sort of thing. I don't think ANY of our politicians get anywhere close. :(

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Forethoughts, afterthoughts, any thoughts. Tell me.

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