Atmospheric and Climate Science Directorate

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Providing Remote Communities with Safe Drinking Water

Fog Collectors

When scientists at the Meteorological Service of Canada MSC began collecting fog samples on the slopes of Mount Sutton, Quebec in the mid-1980s, all they really intended was to shed some light on the chemical composition of the fog. This was part of understanding acid rain and its impacts on forests. Little did they know that years later their work would be helping people around the world find safe drinking water. It all came about when Chilean scientists approached Canada to examine fog collection technology for possible use in Northern Chile. This established a scientific collaboration that has lasted 17 years and is still going strong.

Beads of water from passing clouds run down the fog collectors into a water collection system that provides the village of Chungungo, Chile with fresh drinking water.

The Chilean fishing village of Chungungo has become synonymous with fog collection. The first operational fog collectors were built on the mountain ridge high above this coastal desert village. Consisting of simple wooden poles and plastic mesh, the collectors catch fog droplets as they are blown through the mesh by the wind. Fresh, clean water from the clouds over the Pacific Ocean is caught by these mountainside collectors and flows downhill through a pipeline to the village. The project couldn’t have been more successful. The collectors provide an astounding average of 15,000 litres of safe drinking water each day of the year. Some days produce 100,000 litres of potable water! Perhaps the best indication of the suitability of the method is that the array is still functioning in 2003, eleven years after fog water first flowed to the village.

Chungungo has attracted worldwide attention. Many similar projects have already been launched, with plans for many more. Fog collectors are providing safe water in South Africa, Nepal, Haiti, Chile and Hawaii. The water is used for human and livestock consumption and for irrigation. Arid regions are being planted and sustained with fog water. Once the resulting vegetation gets established, it sustains itself by catching the fog droplets directly. This technique allows for arid, fog-impacted deserts, to become valuable forests or agricultural lands.

From a fishing village in Chile to a schoolhouse on a seaside cliff in South Africa, and even to the Himalayas in Nepal, MSC scientists have made a vital difference in many communities around the world.

The Chilean residents of Chungungo give thanks for a Canadian-led program that has brought fresh water to their village.

"The work in Chile was pivotal and has lead to numerous other fog collection projects around the world."
Robert S. Schemenauer
Executive Director FogQuest

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