Moroccan Communities Capture Atlantic Fog Water Using Large Polymer Nets

In the arid Anti-Atlas mountain range of southwestern Morocco, a unique system is providing a vital source of drinking water by capturing moisture from the Atlantic fog. Communities are utilizing large polymer nets, known as CloudFisher, installed on the slopes of Mount Boutmezguida at altitudes exceeding 1,200 meters.

The technology, inspired by research in Chile's Atacama Desert in the 1980s, collects micro-droplets suspended in the air as fog rolls in. The captured water is then directed through gutters and pipes to reservoirs, supplying rural villages near the Sahara border. This gravity-fed system operates entirely without pumps or electricity, relying solely on the natural flow of water and the region's atmospheric conditions.

According to the German organization Wasserstiftung, which is associated with the project, the installation on Mount Boutmezguida features 31 collectors. These nets, suspended on steel poles, can gather up to 64 liters of water per square meter of net within a 24-hour period. The system utilizes 600 square meters of netting and durable materials, allowing local residents to perform repairs, a significant improvement over earlier fog collection projects.

This innovative approach addresses the critical issue of water scarcity, with an estimated two billion people worldwide lacking access to safe drinking water. The CloudFisher system offers a sustainable and low-tech solution for communities grappling with desertification and its consequences, demonstrating how simple engineering can harness natural resources to meet essential needs.

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By modifying the size of the holes and the fibers, and by considering the coating of the latter, we have improved the efficiency of fog collection by approximately five hundred percent.