FROM CLOUD JUICE TO FOG WATER

How many types of drinking water can you think of ? Beyond tap water, spring water and mineral water, I mean. There are now lots of table waters, artesian waters and glacial waters. But a combination of world shortage and marketing ingenuity has ensured a constant flow of ever zanier initiatives. I’ve seen several machines that capture humidity. A particular favourite of mine is Cloud Juice from Tasmania. Then, last week, I read about large nets to catch fog in Peru. It’s a rather sad story, really, since it’s the result of inadequate local supplies and severe poverty. Yet some German biologists have recently helped a neighbourhood of Lima collect up to 60 litres of water a night from a single panel of netting up on a hilltop. You can find out more on the project at watertechonline.com. I’d be fascinated if any of you know of other unusual water sourcing stories.