Focus on fog in quest for clean water

Fog, that bane of the seafarer, motorist and airman, could well be a source of precious water for arid areas such as the UAE, according to a visiting scientist.

Dr. Robert Schemenauer has succeeded in capturing the elusive morning mist and turning it into a store of water, and he believes the technique could be successful here.

The Canadian specialist was lecturing at a symposium on Alternative Water Sources at the Zayed Centre for Coordination and Follow-up in Abu Dhabi.

He said studies on fog collection have already been successfully carried out in Yemen and Oman, proving that the climatic conditions of the region allow fog collection projects to be easily implemented.

He pointed out the fog collection system is environment-friendly and cost effective. It is based on the use of panels made up of a thick thread located in foggy areas, usually on hills. The fog droplets attach themselves to the panels and are easily collected.

Dr Schemenauer is also Executive Director of FogQuest, a Canadian charity dedicated to planning and implementing water projects for rural communities in developing countries. The organisation has successfully implemented the fog collection system in several arid areas of Chile, Peru and Ecuador.

"We utilise innovative fog collectors as well as effective rainfall collectors to make optimum use of natural atmospheric sources of water.

"The collectors are cost effective because they do not pollute; they do not need additional infrastructures or transportation systems. The water collected by the panels falls by gravity from the hills to the destination.

"In areas like the UAE where there is a huge need of water, the fog collection is not meant to constitute an alternative system to desalinisation. Nevertheless it an be used in some areas as an additional water source and can be utilised for other than the community's needs."

A field study of the organisation in the mountains of Hajja, Yemen, carried out this year during the dry winter months showed that a panel of one square metre generated between four and five litres of water per day.

Studies carried earlier near Salalah in the Sultanate of Oman also showed extremely high fog collection rates on the coastal mountains during the summer.

The scientist explained that the system's effectiveness depends on accurate studies to be carried on fog chemistry and frequency, local meteorology, topography, and possibly sea conditions.

Dr Robert Nelson, Director of the American Information Center for Unconventional Technologies, presented a study on condensing atmosphere humidity for potable water.

Another scientist called for the establishment of a database on water technologies to provide a framework for scientists.