Warka Tower
Fawzia Saleh Al-Madhihim
Innovation
4
The issue of water scarcity, which affects more than a billion people around the world, has attracted many scientists and researchers to think about finding creative solutions that contribute to... Solving the issue of water scarcity and sustainability, especially in developing countries.
So the Warka Water Organization) is a non-profit organization working on building the Warka Tower, whose idea is to capture moisture from the surrounding air and collect it as drinkable water.
The Italian architect Artore Vittori came up with the idea after visiting a small village called Orson in Ethiopia, where he saw children and women suffering and walking for several kilometers to get water. As a contribution to solving the problem, he designed the Warka Tower to help solve the problem of water scarcity in the village.
As for the reason for naming the tower with this name, it goes back to the “Warka” tree, which is a giant wild fig tree native to Ethiopia, whose shade is used for traditional public meetings and events, and children meet in its shade in order to gain learning and knowledge.
The tower’s design combines modern technology, ease of installation, light weight and efficient production. Moreover, the prototype is made entirely of natural, environmentally friendly materials, as they are 100% biodegradable and recyclable. It features a stylish, perfectly shaped frame made of local bamboo, surrounded by a thin mesh of bioplastic, making it easy for local residents to maintain without the need for electricity.
To clarify the mechanism of operation, this tower, which is 9.5 meters high, captures water droplets from the air due to the high humidity in the atmosphere, and operates with high efficiency that allows one tower to collect up to 100 liters of pure water per day, and supply it to the local community, relying on a group of natural phenomena such as gravity, condensation, and evaporation.
Accordingly, the best places to install the Warka Tower are those with high levels of humidity and fog. In addition to all of this, there is one important feature of the tower: its light weight, estimated at about 80 kilograms, which facilitates the process of transporting, installing and maintaining it.
The Warka Initiative is one of the initiatives working on comprehensive human development and water sustainability in rural communities, which will have many influential results; including improving safety standards in the living environment using multi-sectoral, low-cost, community-directed, high-impact development contributions, specifically designed to meet the specific needs of the village, in addition to providing job opportunities that improve economic and social aspects, based on manufacturing, construction and management of towers.
Al Warka Tower was awarded the Design Award; “Social Impact” category for the year 2019.
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