The Warka Water is a tower that captures the humidity of the air in its nets and turns it into water. The first was installed in Dorzé, in the south of Ethiopia, and collects up to 100 liters of drinking water per day. The simple and brilliant invention of an Italian designer.
Access to drinking water is a major problem. According to figures from the World Health Organization: 2.4 billion people are without drinking water! The reasons are manifold and one of them concerns the dry areas of our planet.
This invention of the Italian designer and architect, Arturo Vittori, is therefore of vital importance to a large part of humanity.
“I discovered this incredible land during a trip to the Omo Valley: on the one hand, there is the extraordinary beauty of the landscapes, on the other, we find the daily difficulty of women and children who are forced to walk up to 6 hours to be able to get a drink! “
On his return to Italy, Arturo Vittori perfected this ingenious structure in the Rome region: the Warka Water is a 10 meter high tower made of bamboo, a recyclable and biodegradable plastic net which allows the water present to condense in the air, and a tank that collects up to 100 liters of water per day and removes impurities.
6 people and 4 days are enough to build this tower, without even having to use electricity. The total cost of this construction is less than 1,000 euros. In comparison, building a well is much more complicated.
One of the challenges that this project overcame is having successfully used local construction techniques and instruments to be able to create a community of builders who can set up other such towers in the area and deal with handling.
For the tribe, at the beginning, this tower was like a magic totem which also integrated perfectly into the natural landscape of the valley. A few months later, Warka Water improves people’s lives.
On March 18, Parka Water won the “World Design Impact” award from the International Council of Industrial Design Companies. A great recognition for Arturo Vittori and his team, which should further facilitate the development of this program in rural areas where access to drinking water is difficult.
Other structures have been installed in Lebanon and Italy. In 2016, other towers will be installed in India. It is possible to make a donation by going to the Warka Water website.
The name of this tower, Warka Water, is inspired by a wild fig tree from Ethiopia. If, as we commonly say: “water is life”, then we could rename this tower … the tree of life.
Thanks to Warka Water, water will no longer be a scarce commodity, even in the driest areas!
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