Catching Dew

In deserts blessed with rolling blankets of fog, the air is an oasis.

Situated on the dry Pacific coast of Peru, Lima receives less than an inch of rainfall every year, but experiences over 84% humidity throughout. The spectre of water scarcity is widespread - over 3 million Peruvians lack access to water services.

Nevertheless, in 2009, a Peruvian engineer named Abel Cruz realised that water could be pulled from the air and began installing ‘fog catchers’. As the city’s fog passes through the nylon mesh nets, tiny water droplets condense and cling to the fibre, flowing into catchments that quench the thirst of local communities. A single fog catcher can collect 200 to 400 litres of water per day. This innovative water technology is also used in Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, Nepal and Spain to combat water scarcity. Read our article about Dar Si Hamad, a Moroccan organisation using fog catchers to bring water to communities in the Anti-Atlas mountains.

However, the climate crisis will intensify this problem globally – by 2050, over 40% of the world’s population is projected to live under severe water stress. Humanity needs innovative local solutions.

On this International Day of Climate Action, we invite you to reflect on the invisible oases in your city. Could the key to protecting your communities be hiding in plain sight, within reach of your grasp?

This award-winning photograph was shortlisted in the Solutions Category of the COP28 Photography Competition, a collaboration between The Climate Tribe and the Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Rashid al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA). The Climate Tribe has partnered with HIPA to leverage the power of photography to inspire global awareness of sustainability and advance climate action.