Water from Fog
Columbus 21 Course 2 (Heisei 17) pg. 75-79
| Water from Fog | |
|---|---|
| ? | |
| Details | |
| Word count | 263 |
| Book | Columbus 21 |
| Grade | 2 |
| Year | 2005 |
Some countries have very little rain. One of those countries in Chile. A Canadian scientist, Dr. Robert Schemenauer, wanted to help Chile. He worked with Pilar Cereceda and some other Chilean scientists. They decided to help the village Chungungo. It was one of the driest places on earth.
There were no rivers or lakes near Chungungo. On the mountains near Chungungo, there was always some fog, but very little rain. Getting water was very hard for the people in the village. So water was carried to the village on an old truck. The water was expensive, but it was not clean.
How did Dr. Schemenauer plan to get water? His answer was "from the fog." Fog is made up of many small water drops. So, on a mountainside near the village, Dr. Schemenauer set up 75 strong nets. Small water drops were caught on the nets. Then the drops ran down the nets and into a big pipeline. This pipeline took the water to the village.
Dr. Schemenauer and his team began in 1985. It took seven years. At last, in 1992, a water faucet was turned on in the village. Now, the people in Chungungo get all their water from fog. They have enough water for drinking and cooking. And because the water is clean, they are healthier than before.
Dr. Schemenauer's way of catching fog was very simple. It didn't need any energy. Today, many places around the world do not have enough water. Catching fog is helping some of those places, too. Dr. Schemenauer plans to continue his important work.
