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IPFS News Link • Science, Medicine and Technology

Fog-Catching Towers Could Supply Water to the World's Driest Megacity Using The Ocean Air

• https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org By Andy Corbley

A twenty-meter high (60 feet) tower of spiraling nets will be unveiled this summer in the city as a solution to the threat which a warming climate poses to the shaky foundations of water availability in Lima.

Aside from glacial runoff from the Andes, and water from the stressed Rímac River, Peru's capital city accumulates just one inch of rain a year. The city sees high annual temperatures, and water consumption rates, despite being located in a desert, are higher than world averages.

However, a unique feature of Lima's weather offers a way of relieving some of this demand. Situated on the coast, Lima's surrounding hills are constantly bathed in waves of fog coming off the Pacific Ocean, and the moisture captured by plants ensures they stay green year-round.