A new, low-tech invention could quench the thirst of millions of thirsty Africans by soaking up water from the atmosphere
Africa has long struggled to find clean drinking water for its people. Millions of villagers spend 4 to 6 hours a day searching for water, and most of time it’s not even clean.
With Africa’s population ballooning at over a billion people, the problem is only going to get bigger and bigger.
Fortunately, a nonprofit has come up with a cheap, quick-to-assemble bamboo structure that will help bring Africans clean water out of thin air.
Their invention is the Warka Water Tower which is designed to harvest up to 25 gallons of water per day from the atmosphere. This easy-to-maintain, passive structure relies only on gravity, condensation and evaporation.
Warka Water Tower is a 30-foot-tall tower made out of local, natural, biodegradable materials. It has an orange, water-resistant mesh on the inside that collects fog from the atmosphere.
The “Warka” Water Tower is actually named after the Warka tree. This giant fig tree is found in Ethiopia and is sacred because it provides shade, food, and a gathering place for Africans.
These structures only cost about a thousand dollars a piece, making them easy to build all over Africa.
With the low cost and readily available materials to make them, hopefully more Africans will have access to clean water in the very near future.