The Warka Water is a 30-foot-tall water harvesting structure that can turn atmospheric water vapour into more than 25 gallons of potable water per day. Designed by Arturo Vittori and inspired by the Ethiopian Warka tree, the structure has an external semi-rigid exoskeleton built from bamboo and an internal plastic mesh. The dew forming on the mesh drips into a basin at the base. Each tower costs about $550 and can be built in less than a week.
More than 750 million people around the world do not have access to safe drinking water. Vittori decided to address this problem after visiting north-eastern Ethiopia where women and children walk several hours to collect water from worm-filled ponds contaminated with human waste. This exposes children to dangerous illnesses and takes them away from school, ensuring that a cycle of poverty repeats. Vittori hopes to have two Warka towers erected in Ethiopia by 2015.
Picture Credit : Google
