WATER FROM CLOUDS On the outskirts of Lima Peru Abel Cruz Gutierrez hikes to the top of a steep hill The land at his feet is dry and rocky Gutierrez is barely visible through a blanket of fog All around him panels of netting stretch out between poles Strong cables anchor the poles in place Gutierrez stops at a panel and tugs at the cables He checks that the poles are properly secured to the ground He inspects the netting for tears As Gutierrez runs his hands along the nylon mesh they become wet with water Fog nets are an important source of water in many communities
Without water from the fog nets growing food would be difficult and expensive where Avalos lives A network of pipes leads away from the panels to a white storage tank Water trickles from two pipes into the tank Downhill Gutierrez stops to speak with María Teresa Avalos She is soaking a garden with water from the storage tank The ground on this part of the hillside is lush with vegetation Parsley cilantro potatoes and celery grow in her garden Avalos harvests armfuls of vegetables She will use the foods to make soup for dinner WATER IN A DESERT Lima is one of many locations around the world where water is scarce The capital city is in a desert on the
western coast of Peru Here it almost never rains Living in such a dry area is difficult It’s especially hard for people in poverty like Avalos She is one of approximately 3 million people who live on the outskirts of Lima These communities have no running water Trucks bring in water People must buy the water they need to drink and do chores The water is expensive They cannot afford much The water is not always safe to drink Gutierrez helps bring water to Peruvians who lack running water He leads an organization called Movimiento Peruanos sin Agua Peruvians without Water Movement The group places fog nets in hillside villages not ECONOMIC BENEFITS In some communities people use fog water to make products to sell In Majada Blanca Chile fog water irrigates olive trees The olives are processed and sold as organic olive oil The first crop was harvested in May 2017 Residents used some of the profit to install more nets and plant more trees
