Sustainability around the world: Africa

By Gillian Phair

Meet the fog screens: making water scarcity seem like a simple problem.

Up in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, water is being collected on 30 m2 mesh screens, by the condensation of fog. For five villages, a total of 400 people, 24/7 access to running water has had a huge impact on life in this area. This scheme has even brought people back to the region after migrating away from drought. It is even giving women and girls the opportunity to participate more in education or work, as they do not need to spend several hours everyday collecting water.

The fog screens can be applied in many arid regions around the world. However, as fog seasons sometimes only last a few months, so water storage and collection from local wells are really important. Although it may only be a solution on the small scale, this scheme demonstrates that by paying attention to the natural processes happening around us, that difficult climate issues can find their solution.