According to the latest United Nations Report on World Water Resources 2015, on average, around 36% of the total population of Africa did not have access to good water sources and 70% did not have access to good sanitation either. .
Faced with this problem, the Architecture and Vision company has created a bamboo and biodegradable plastic tower called “Warka Water”, which has the capacity to collect rainwater, fog and dew to obtain drinking water in areas where this resource is so scarce. important for life is a problem that affects the quality of life of local residents.
Created especially to be installed in communities without access to drinking water, “Warka Water” works by capturing moisture and conducting it to a hygienic retention tank through a nozzle. In addition, it has the advantage of operating without the need for electricity and requiring only minimal maintenance.
The developed tower is 10 meters high and approximately 4.2 meters wide, but fundamentally it surprises with its ability to collect up to 99 liters of drinking water, per day! Which would represent, without a doubt, an advance of great importance for the communities in which it will be able to settle.
The designed tower has a vertical bamboo structure with a biodegradable plastic net that collects water from the air by condensation.
The design is inspired by a native Ethiopian tree, whose shade was used in public meetings of the inhabitants; being a very important and representative symbol both in a cultural and environmental sense.
In addition, it can be built by the inhabitants of the village. It weighs only 60 kg, and is made up of 5 modules that can be assembled by 4 people without qualification and without any special machinery. It should only be fixed with tension cables, to stabilize on the ground and resist the winds.
It even has the quality of not leaving traces in the environment if it were to be removed and therefore does not require excavation or soil modification for its construction.
The water obtained by the system, in addition to being consumed, can also be used for irrigation, reforestation and ecosystem regeneration.
To future
Although water is the most important source of life, pollution, deforestation, climate change, and desertification affect the availability of potable sources for consumption.
From UNESCO, it is expected that in 2030 the world will have to face a global water deficit of 40% in a climatic scenario in which everything remains the same, which is why it is essential that we all commit ourselves to its responsible use and consumption.
In this regard, Arturo Vittori, director of Architecture and Vision, explains regarding the situation in Africa that: “In the mountainous areas, the women and children of Ethiopia walk every day for several hours to collect water from unsafe sources, often shared with animals, at permanent risk of contamination. This situation makes their lives even more difficult and by focusing their lives on work, the consequence is a serious lack of education.”
The Warka Water concept has been implemented over the last 3 years through various experimental prototypes built and although it has reportedly not yet reached the target set for the crowdfunding campaign, it will continue because it arouses interest from governments and non-governmental organizations. .
As part of the project, a new Warka tree is also planned to be planted next to each tower. The growth of each will be nurtured by the water generated by the towers, as well as the dedicated team from the community that maintains the tower. Over time, the new tree will not only offset the negative effects of increasing deforestation, but will also help create a better environment for Warka’s tower to function. The humidity created by the tree will facilitate the production of water in it.
In this way, an ancient knowledge that many native communities put into practice to obtain drinking water from the dew and humidity of the environment, is re-implemented and strengthened to deal with this problem that affects communities around the world so much.