Visitors to Table Mountain will now notice the City’s Fog Harvesting pilot project which aims to investigate fog harvesting as a means to augment the supply of drinking water.
Fog Harvesting is the collection of fog (water) from the atmosphere.
Cape Town has experienced the worst drought recorded in its history, and experts have warned that droughts will become more frequent, and last longer.
Recently a project to investigate the potential of fog to directly or indirectly augment the drinking water supply was initiated.
Mayco member for Water and Waste Xanthea Limberg, this week, visited the site for a progress inspection.
“(The) implementation of this project should assure residents that every possible effort is being made to ensure water security at a cost that is affordable to the residents of Cape Town. City officials are willing to think outside the box, and this is so important for ongoing adaptability and resilience. The more we research and understand, the stronger and better prepared we become.
“All visitors using the Cable Car will be able to see the phase two site, which has a sign up that explains the project to the public. Hikers are asked to please keep their distance, and to avoid drinking the water as it has not been treated,” said Limberg.
Phase one of the pilot project, just completed, aimed to assess the suitability of the various locations on Table Mountain, and design elements for such project and also to understand the physical and chemical complexities of fog. Factors such as the aspect, the elevation, presence of topographical obstructions in the vicinity of the site and weather conditions can affect how well a system will operate.
The City’s Scientific Services Branch is currently in the final stages of commissioning phase two of the pilot, which will assess potential yield at two experimental locations identified during phase one.
Key ingredients to the favourable formation of fog are high altitude mountains (> 800m above sea level) within close proximity to the coastline. The technique has been used for decades in dry and isolated regions, such as in Chile, Peru, and Spain, though mostly managed by research and academic institutions as opposed to a municipal scale.
Once phase two is complete in December 2022 the City will have a better idea of whether the project can yield meaningful amounts of water, of good quality and at a reasonable price.