17 gallons of Atlantic fog can become drinking water in 24 hours as Morocco’s mountain nets capture moisture above the Anti-Atlas, then gravity carries it downhill to homes where families once walked hours for water

Freshwater is usually associated with rivers, lakes, wells and reservoirs, but in one of Morocco’s driest regions, an unconventional source is being put to work: moisture carried by fog.

In southwestern Morocco, an unusual water system captures moisture directly from Atlantic fog and turns it into drinking water for households below the Anti-Atlas Mountains. High on Mt. Boutmezguida, black mesh nets intercept passing fog, collect the droplets and channel the water into a distribution system that relies on gravity to carry it downhill.


The system offers an alternative to traditional water sources in an extremely arid region where some families once spent hours traveling to functioning wells. Operated by Moroccan nonprofit Dar Si Hmad, the fog-harvesting project combines natural atmospheric moisture with specialized mesh, reservoirs and pipes.

Capturing water from Atlantic fog

Mt. Boutmezguida rises over 4,000 feet above sea level. There, rows of black polymer mesh are positioned to intercept Atlantic fog moving through the Anti-Atlas Mountains.

As the fog passes in the nets, moisture forms droplets on the mesh. The water runs downward into the collection system before entering reservoirs.

Gravity then moves the collected water through pipes toward homes in Aït Baâmrane.

The process starts with moisture in the air rather than water drawn from a well or river.

At the Moroccan site, the nets can accumulate as much as 17 gallons per square yard of netting in 24 hours.

A project operated by Dar Si Hmad

Dar Si Hmad, a Moroccan nonprofit, started working with fog as a freshwater source in 2006.

As per the Reach Alliance study of the program, its installations supply individual households in this extremely arid region of the Anti-Atlas with fresh drinking water.

For families earlier dependent on distant wells, the availability of water through household pipes changed a basic part of daily life.

Improving fog-collection technology

The New Yorker's 2016 report documented the CloudFisher installation and the engineering behind its fog-catching mesh.

Engineers enhanced the system by altering the dimensions of the mesh openings and fibres and adjusting their coatings. Gareth McKinley of MIT's School of Engineering stated these changes improved fog-collection efficiency by about 500 percent.

An old idea using modern equipment

The New Yorker cited that Bartolomé de las Casas referred to the practice in his sixteenth-century History of the Indies. The Moroccan project combines that longstanding approach of capturing airborne moisture with contemporary mesh technology, reservoirs and pipes.

At Mt. Boutmezguida, the approach offers a structured approach to capture droplets from fog and provide the collected water to households.

CloudFisher brings fog water to homes

The CloudFisher installation officially began operating in 2015, marking an important moment for the communities involved in the project. During the opening, residents gathered at a local home, where a newly functioning tap was used to fill a ceremonial crystal goblet that was then shared among those attending.

The collected supply became termed in French as l’eau du brouillard, or fog water.

For Jamila Bargach, co-founder and director of Dar Si Hmad, getting water to flow was only one part of the project's importance.

“On days like today, I am the queen of fog,” she stated to The New Yorker.

A water system dependent on local conditions

The system depends on the environmental conditions around Mt. Boutmezguida. Regular fog, high elevation and sufficient airborne moisture are needed for the nets to collect water.

Once captured, the moisture is directed into the collection system and reservoirs. Gravity then carries the water downhill through pipes to homes below. The result is a system in which Atlantic fog becomes a household water source through a combination of natural conditions, specialized mesh, storage infrastructure and community participation.

The Moroccan project demonstrates how atmospheric moisture can become part of a community water supply when local climate, engineering and infrastructure work together. For households that once spent hours reaching wells, the journey for water can instead begin high above the Anti-Atlas, where Atlantic fog meets a wall of mesh.

Source: DAILY GALAXY

FAQs:

Q1. What is fog harvesting?

Fog harvesting is a method of collecting tiny water droplets suspended in fog. Specialized mesh captures the droplets before the water is directed into a collection system.

Q2. Where is the Moroccan fog-harvesting system located?

The system is located on Mt. Boutmezguida in southwestern Morocco. The mountain stands more than 4,000 feet above sea level in the Anti-Atlas Mountains.