Warka Water, a vertical man-made structure capable of collecting potable water from the air as do many plants and animals, is on trial in Ethiopia.
The unique structure – named after the giant Warka wild fig tree (Ficus Vasta) which is an important part of Ethiopia’s culture and ecosystem – was designed by a team led by Italian architect Arturo Vettori with the objective of offering an alternative water source to rural populations in Ethiopia, a country where access to this resource is a major issue.
The team has the support of the Italian Foreign Ministry and its members come from Italy, Ethiopia, Nigeria, India, Lebanon, the USA and the UK. Warka Water was designed first and foremost as an architectural structure.
The Warka Water concept is an environmentally, socially and financially sustainable solution to the lack of potable water. The project is still in its experimental phase and its aim is to collect an annual average of 50 to 100 litres of potable water a day. The harvested water can be used for drinking and stored for other purposes such as irrigation.
Warka Water can provide clean water in selected areas, particularly in mountainous regions not reached by conventional pipelines and where water is not available from wells. It is designed to be owned and operated by villagers, a key factor for the project’s success.
Once the prototype development and testing phases are completed, the aim is to manufacture the Warka on a large scale, which will bring down the cost per tower in Ethiopia to an estimated $1 000. The next step is the provision of a water management system that teaches the principles of permaculture and includes the appointment of a water manager to administer distribution.
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