The Giant Water Basket For Desert Villages

I thought this was great idea and I wonder why this hasn't been tried before, it seems like such a simple idea.
Warka Towers were inspired by the Warka Tree.

His stunning water towers stand nearly 30 feet tall and can collect over 25 gallons of potable water per day by harvesting atmospheric water vapor. Called WarkaWater towers, each pillar is comprised of two sections: a semi-rigid exoskeleton built by tying stalks of juncus or bamboo together and an internal plastic mesh, reminiscent of the bags oranges come in. The nylon and polypropylene fibers act as a scaffold for condensation, and as the droplets of dew form, they follow the mesh into a basin at the base of the structure.

25 gallons a day seems purdy good. WOnder if anyone has considered bigger ones?
They cost about 550.00 to build and hopefully some philanthropists or charitable organization will help to provide some of these.
A team of 4 can put one together with local materials in less than a week.

To survive, women and their children walk for miles to worm-filled ponds contaminated with human waste, collect water in trashed plastic containers or dried gourds, and carry the heavy containers on treacherous roads back to their homes. This process takes hours and endangers the children by exposing them to dangerous illnesses and taking them away from school, ensuring that a cycle of poverty repeats.

Often these women travel 2 hours twice a day for water. This should bring great relief and sustenance to so many villages.

“To make people independent, especially in such a rural context it’s synonymous of a sustainable project and guaranties the longevity,” says Vittori. “Using natural fibers helps the tower to be integrated with the landscape both visually with the natural context as well as with local traditional techniques.”

www.wired.com...
Seems these things could be used in number of areas, given the right climatic conditions. I wonder if bigger ones would be practical? I am just glad such a simple and inexpensive solution has been presented. Struggling to get clean water daily has to be a daunting existence, with so much focus on sheer survival. Hopefully this will enable the people to invest their time in other areas.

Peace,
spec

reply to post by speculativeoptimist


Great design!

I would like to take a moment to express gratitude for ATS and our Mods. I was reading through some of the comments in related articles about these baskets in Ethipoia and the racists and deplorable comments left me appalled! I guess I have been taking for granted the value of moderatorship and being part of a civil community here. Comments like those at other sites are a reminder of just how far we still have to go.
So thanks ATS and

reply to post by greencmp

Indeed, seems like anyone in such arid regions could benefit from this. Maybe some peeps in our southwest could use these supplementally.

speculativeoptimist
I would like to take a moment to express gratitude for ATS and our Mods. I was reading through some of the comments in related articles about these baskets in Ethipoia and the racists and deplorable comments left me appalled! I guess I have been taking for granted the value of moderatorship and being part of a civil community here. Comments like those at other sites are a reminder of just how far we still have to go.
So thanks ATS and

How many comments did you go through? I literally see two people spouting ignorance that was immediately reputed by the community commenting there.

That being said these structures are huge and it is very unlikely anyone would be able to get a building permit to have one in their back yard. Furthermore water collection of this manner is most likely illegal in "1st" world countries due to government regulation of water supplies.

This actually isn't the first time such a concept has been presented, but the designers of this product have made the product a very visually appealing device so it is getting far more attention.

But good on Mr. Arturo for actually doing something to help these folks instead of just complaining endlessly to get a government to pay someone else to do the heavy lifting.

Condensation trap
en.wikipedia.org...

The Fog Collectors: Harvesting Water From Thin Air
blogs.ei.columbia.edu...

Inspired by nature’s design, scientists Chiara Neto, Stuart Thickett, and Andrew Harris from the University of Sydney have invented a synthetic surface using a combination of chemistry and structure. The surface is composed of two polymer layers: the top is hydrophilic, while the bottom is hydrophobic, which makes water droplets detach as soon as they get large enough.

. . . .

Meanwhile Chinese scientists are studying the structure of spider silk to learn why it is so effective at collecting water from the air. Under an electron microscope, Lei Jiang and Yong Zhao from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and colleagues observed that spider silk fibers change structure when they come into contact with water. The fibers form hydrophilic spindle knots while the joints in between the knots remain smooth, so condensing water droplets slide along the smooth surfaces and coalesce into bigger drops at the knots.

How to Find Water in the Wild
adventure.howstuffworks.com...

-FBB

EDIT
Here is the specific device I was talking about;
Device that harvests water from thin air wins the James Dyson Award
www.gizmag.com...
This device could potentially be even more beneficial to the rural farmers of the area as it is far more potable and less spacious, but anything is really better then what is occurring right now.

reply to post by FriedBabelBroccoli

Hey FBB, yea I was scouring through other sites to gather info, and I saw those comments in most other sources. Granted, people did condemn it, I have just grown used to not seeing it. Oh well, let freedom ring…

That being said these structures are huge and it is very unlikely anyone would be able to get a building permit to have one in their back yard. Furthermore water collection of this manner is most likely illegal in "1st" world countries due to government regulation of water supplies.

You are probably right about infringement in 1st world countries, at least when the authorities figure it out. I would call them functional art rather than an alternative water source.

Thank you for additional sources, I knew of the technique, but this project and scale are somewhat new.

Looks like something Beru and Owen Lars would have set up on Tatooine.

Awesome, s&f

The benefits would be enormous for such places as California and other water poor regions....
Desert living would seem to be getting easier for off the grid homes this way.....

reply to post by FriedBabelBroccoli

That being said these structures are huge and it is very unlikely anyone would be able to get a building permit to have one in their back yard. Furthermore water collection of this manner is most likely illegal in "1st" world countries due to government regulation of water supplies.

You know, I have been thinking more about your comment regarding it being illegal to collect rainwater on most 1st world countries, and while I think that is over the top a bit, their reasoning with rainwater is because it would take from the natural ecosystem, which on some level could be a genuine concern. However, this thing collects water via condensation so I don't see how authorities could shun this, unless of course some entity prevents it because it is providing self sustainability. Is that against the law….yet? Then there is the sanitary or cleanliness aspect, but I am unsure how they would argue a contamination point.

I wonder too if a building permit would be required in a rural setting?

The spider web link was interesting, thanks again.

speculativeoptimist
reply to post by FriedBabelBroccoli

 

That being said these structures are huge and it is very unlikely anyone would be able to get a building permit to have one in their back yard. Furthermore water collection of this manner is most likely illegal in "1st" world countries due to government regulation of water supplies.

You know, I have been thinking more about your comment regarding it being illegal to collect rainwater on most 1st world countries, and while I think that is over the top a bit, their reasoning with rainwater is because it would take from the natural ecosystem, which on some level could be a genuine concern. However, this thing collects water via condensation so I don't see how authorities could shun this, unless of course some entity prevents it because it is providing self sustainability. Is that against the law….yet? Then there is the sanitary or cleanliness aspect, but I am unsure how they would argue a contamination point.

I wonder too if a building permit would be required in a rural setting?

Rain water is condensation.

-FBB

reply to post by FriedBabelBroccoli


This I know, but it I don't think the laws specify or include water from condensation in a container. Here in Oregon it is rainwater barrels that are frowned upon.
I will look into other laws..