Morocco
Worlds largest fog collector park
22
liter / fog day
per 1 m²
1.188
liter / fog day
per FogCollector (54 m²)
36.828
liter / fog day
per 31 FogCollector (1.674 m²)
The project on Mount Boutmezguida is located in the Aït Baamrane area in the Anti-Atlas mountains near the coastal town of Sidi Ifni.
The population is largely made up of Berber communities, especially women, children and elderly people: the men are often absent for months at a time, looking for work in the towns. In recent years, the region has been increasingly threatened by drought; the desert has spread and the water table is steadily sinking. However, there is still a plentiful supply of atmospheric water vapour from the clouds and fog around Mount Boutmezguida.
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The aim
To connect every house to 31 CloudFisher collectors.
5 cisterns ensure that the water remains available during most of the dry season.
Results
Girls in the villages no longer have to fetch water from wells in the valley.
People can grow modest amounts of fruit and vegetables.
16 villages in the valleys around Boutmezguida and a school are provided with drinking water.
Around 1.300 inhabitants will have a water supply of 12,3 litres per day.
Location
Project start
Duration
Fog collectors
Beneficiaries
Partners
Morocco, Mount Boutmezguida
2006
until 2018
31 collectors with a total net area of 1,674 square meter
1.300 inhabitants, 7.000 animals
WaterFoundation, Dar Si Hmad, Victoria Marzol (Universidad of La Laguna), TU München
2017-2018
In January 2017 the expansion of 30 CloudFisher was launched. 15 collectors were installed in collaboration with local construction companies and organised by the Dar Si Hmad Foundation. Another 15 CloudFisher collectors will follow in 2018. This is the world's largest collector park, with 1,674 square metres of mesh space.
The WaterFoundation, who is responsible for the project, commissioned aqualonis with its implementation.
2013-2016
In November 2013, the WaterFoundation and aqualonis set up a pilot system in the Anti-Atlas Mountains to study how fog collectors can become a reliable source of clean water.
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The system has provided essential information on construction methods and optimal design of the collector nets.
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Researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have been monitoring the performance of the pilot system on a daily basis.
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The necessary measuring instruments are operated by the TUM. They provide information, updated through the day, on wind speed and wind direction, on relative humidity and temperature, and on precipitation and the amounts of water collected.
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The data are analysed and evaluated by members and students of the Department of Ecoclimatology at the TUM.
Air temperature and relative humidity
Wind direction and speed
Precipitation gauge
Tipping counter for
exact measurement
of water yields
The pilot system was co-financed by the Munich Re Foundation and WaterFoundation.
Mesh types
10 different fabrics were tested for their efficiency: woven mesh and fabrics made of stainless steel produce a lower water yield than three-dimensional spacer fabrics, which aqualonis has been using ever since. This is mainly due to the fact that spacer knitted fabric has a larger surface area than flat fabric. The specially produced monofilaments were developed for use in food safety and for extreme UV radiation.
We periodically examine the monofilaments for their durability. The following pictures will show that even after 2.5 years of continuous use no wear has become visible.
Water analysis
Fog water is drinking water.
Our analysis has shown that fog water is suitable as drinking water for villages located in valleys of Boutmezguida. Under the following link, you can find relevant values compared to threshold values according to the German Drinking Water Ordinance (DWO) and the standards of the WHO.
Download water analysis
2006-2008
June 2006 saw the launching of a joint project of the Dar Si Hmad Foundation (Morocco) and the University of La Laguna (Canary Islands), headed by Professor Maria Victoria Marzol and Dr José Luis Sánchez Megía, to study the viability of obtaining drinking water from fog. Measurements showed that Mount Boutmezguida was particularly suitable for this purpose.
Download summary about fog harvesting on Mount Boutmezguida by V. Marzol.
