TSHIAVHA, South Africa — When plumes of fog gather above the rocky mountains encircling a remote South African village, children look at them with excitement, knowing they will have clean drinking water at school.
Like many rural areas in the country, running water in Tshiavha village in Limpopo province is scarce, but the school-based fog harvesting nets have brought some relief. Mountainous landscapes and a misty climate make Tshiavha village one of the few areas in dry South Africa where fog can be captured, with a system used in the Andes and the Himalayas that remains a novelty here.
But with experts predicting that southern Africa will become drier and hotter over the next four decades, such schemes are getting a new look as South Africa prepares to host the next round of UN climate talks in November. Erected in 2007 with the help of a local university, the fog trapped in the nets provides up to 2,500 litres (quarts) of waters on a good day.
"The water is clean and safe with no chemicals added to it," said Lutanyani Malumedzha the principal of Tshiavha primary school. According to Malumedzha, access to clean water had significantly improved school children's health and reduced the outbreak of waterborne diseases. "Children used to bring their own bottles of water to school during the hot and dry months. The water was collected from muddy wells and not suitable for human consumption," said Malumedzha. More
