Photo of the Week

from Urban Times:

"Water gathering in Ethiopia can be an onerous and gruelling task, with trips to the nearest source often taking hours, if not all day. This task is commonly carried out by the females in the family, who are not only taken out of school, but may encounter sexual harassment on the journey. The end result is also dangerous, as more often than not, the water that is collected is highly contaminated and harmful to drink.

But, it seems that the VittoriLab has found a solution.

The Warka Water Towers were inspired by the Warka tree, native to Ethiopia and commonly used as a central community gathering space. The tower, developed by architecture and vision is a vertical system that harvests portable, clean water right from the air through condensation. Each tower costs approximately $550, and can be built in a few days by village residents, and using locally available materials. The Warka Water Tower uses a fog-harvesting fabric and can collect up to 100 litres of safe drinking water per day."

Amazing stuff; clean and easy and safe.