The Punjab Forest Department intends to begin work on a project to convert fog into water for drinking and horticulture purposes in the hilly, desert, and other suitable areas.
According to Forest Department Chief Conservator Saqib Mahmood, many countries have been working on the ‘fog collector’ technique for the past 30 years. Numerous countries, including Chile, Peru, Malaysia, Ghana, Eritrea, Morocco, South Africa, the United States, and some in the Middle East, have had success with the experiments.
According to the official, the countries weren’t just watering plants but also getting drinking water from fog collectors.? Whereas a number of counties were acquiring water for drinking as well as plants using the method, he stated that it continued to be done on an experimental basis.
According to Saqib Mahmood, many countries benefit from the technique, but the trial would’ve been the first of its kind in Pakistan. It will begin as a pilot project, with approximately 100 saplings planted. He said the department had given the go-ahead to begin work on the pilot project, and that some regions of Rawalpindi were deemed most suitable for the purpose.
Moreover, the chief conservator further explained, “This method is very successful in areas where the amount of water in fog is high, particularly in hilly areas. The vapours in the air take the form of water droplets and this phenomenon is most observable on thin, flat, exposed objects, including plant leaves and grass blades.”
“Keeping this in mind, a mesh sheet (green net for plants) is installed in a vertical pattern so that the air can pass through it, converting vapours into drops, which are channelled into a filtration system, thus gathering clean water,” he further said, adding “The efficiency of the fog collector is based on the net material, the size of the holes and filament, and chemical coating. Fog collectors can accumulate up to 10 percent of the moisture in the air, depending on their efficiency.”
He stated that using this technique, water could be obtained in some desert regions and river catchments, thereby alleviating the shortage of clean water.