Guatemala combats water shortage

Indigenous Mayan communities in Tojquia use fog-harvesting techniques to wring water out of the air.

Guatemala pkg

Rural communities in Guatemala are using new technologies to wring water out of the air. It is called fog harvesting and it helps to overcome water shortages.

Despite the lush appearances for nearly six months out of the year, Tojquia only gets a tiny amount of rainfall, making it extremely difficult to grow crops and find enough drinking water.

However, that is starting to change for the indigenous Mayan communities in Tojquia who are partnering with a Canadian NGO to try and harvest the fog so that they can have drinking water year round.

This low-tech and affordable technology is now being used in several countries around the world including Chile, Nepal and Yemen. The hope is that it will greatly improve the quality of life for locals and, one day, millions of others.

Al Jazeera’s Rachel Levin travelled to Tojquia to see how it works.

Source: Al Jazeera