Namibian towns advised to try fog harvesting

Towns in Namibia that do not receive a lot of rainfall should try fog harvesting, renowned rain water harvester in San Antonio, Texas, Billy Kniffen has said.

Kniffen, who is now retired from the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, travels the United States to provide rain water harvesting education and systems to organisations across the country.

He has built a house that is fully sustainable, with rain harvesting incorporated into the design.

Kniffen also conducts workshops and classes at his home for organisations with a focus on sustainability for people living in rural areas.

He told Nampa fog harvesting is practiced in the western part of South America, where there is no rainfall.

“As the fog comes through, they put up a windscreen netting. A little gutter is built underneath it for when the water vapour hits the windscreen and it transfers the water into a storage container,” he explained.

Kniffen advised that towns such as Swakopmund, which frequently experience thick fog, should practice fog harvesting.

This method could reduce demand on municipal water.

Namibia’s climate is distinctly arid in the greater parts of the country. It has been experiencing a persistent drought for the past three years, which has affected over a quarter of the population who have no food security.

Kniffen said several large communities in Chile in South America harvest fog. They save this water and use it inside their homes or outside for irrigation or other uses.

Harvested fog that is used as drinking water needs to be disinfected.

“Whatever may hit the windscreen could have dust or bugs thus it needs to be filtered and disinfected,” he said.

Kniffen said this type of water is of a very high quality and contains no salts or minerals.

NAMPA