Jacob Murungi collects water near his home in central Kenya — harvesting it from fog that forms overnight and clings to trees.Jacob Murungi collects water near his home in central Kenya — harvesting it from fog that forms overnight and clings to trees.LAARE, Kenya – Jacob Murungi and his wife don't sleep much. Instead, they spend their nights in the local forest high in the mountains of central Kenya collecting water — from the trees.
Rivers are drying up and the rainy season, once certain, has repeatedly failed to produce significant rainfall. Around the world,And while some of the methods for fog harvesting, like this one in the mountains, have been around for generations, scientists and entrepreneurs have been innovating new ways, including technology that can pull water from the air in practically any environment.Rudia Nyuroka talks with neighbors in her yard.
"Of course, this is just mimicking nature. The plants that we see in our desert. They grow little hair, little outgrowths, that as the moist air comes, it traps it," McDonnell says."Nature does it best, always. But we're learning to harness it for some of the uses that we as humans need." Outside, a boxy machine sits inside a metal cage. Beneath it is a tap. One of the girls puts the pitcher down and turns the tap, filling up the pitcher with fresh, clean water in seconds. Their teacher Chris Musonye stands nearby.