A drought-hit community in northern Chile has found an unusual source of water in something that usually passes unnoticed.
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that → hit → something
On the hills above Peña Blanca, in the Coquimbo region, giant mesh nets are positioned to intercept coastal fog, locally known as camanchaca, as it moves inland from the Pacific.
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it → position → Pacific
Tiny droplets suspended in the fog collect on the mesh, combine into larger drops and flow into gutters before being channelled into storage.
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droplets → suspend → storage
The community has been developing the approach since around 2005, using the harvested water for agriculture, livestock and ecological restoration.
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community → develop → agriculture
Today, 34 fog catchers covering 306 square metres can collect up to 650,000 litres of water a year, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, offering an unconventional response to severe water scarcity and helping support efforts to restore degraded land.
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How the fog catchers turn mist into water in Chile's drought-hit region
The technology is surprisingly simple.
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technology → turn → region
Large mesh panels are placed across the path of the prevailing fog and wind.
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panels → place → fog
When fog passes through the mesh, microscopic water droplets collide with its fibres and accumulate on the surface.
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droplets → pass → surface
As the droplets become larger, gravity pulls them down into collection gutters.
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gravity → become → gutters
Pipes then carry the water towards storage tanks or ponds, where it can be used later.
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it → carry → tanks
The system does not create water or extract groundwater.
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system → create → groundwater
Instead, it captures moisture that is already present in the atmosphere.
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that → capture → atmosphere
The effectiveness depends heavily on local fog conditions, wind and the type of mesh used, which is why the community has spent years experimenting with different designs and materials.
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community → depend → designs
A water source hidden above a dry landscape
Peña Blanca lies in one of Chile's driest regions, where prolonged drought has placed pressure on farming, livestock and natural vegetation.
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drought → hide → farming
The community is part of the Fray Jorge Biosphere Reserve, an area known for the unusual contrast between an extremely dry surrounding landscape and vegetation sustained by coastal moisture.
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community → know → moisture
Researchers studying Peña Blanca have documented how declining rainfall and historical land use contributed to soil degradation and reduced agricultural activity.
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rainfall → study → activity
Yet while rainfall became increasingly unreliable, coastal fog continued to arrive over the hills.
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The community's response was to treat that fog as a potential source of water rather than simply as a weather phenomenon.
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The experiment began around 2005
The Peña Blanca initiative developed in the mid-2000s through cooperation between local residents and Fundación Un Alto en el Desierto.
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initiative → begin → Desierto
The organisation worked with the community to explore ways of addressing water scarcity, desertification and land degradation.
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organisation → work → scarcity
Cerro Grande, a hill rising to roughly 650 metres, became an important location because of its persistent fog.
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Residents and project workers began installing and testing fog collectors there, gradually adapting the technology to local conditions.
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The project was not simply a matter of putting up nets and waiting for water.
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project → put → water
Community members participated in construction, monitoring and maintenance, while repeated experimentation helped determine where collectors worked best and how their design could be improved.
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design → participate → construction
The water is being used to restore land
One of the most important aspects of the project is that the collected water is not being used solely as an alternative water supply.
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water → use → supply
It has also been channelled towards ecological restoration at the Cerro Grande reserve.
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Part of the hill was fenced to prevent livestock from damaging recovering vegetation and the fog-catching infrastructure.
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Part → fence → vegetation
Harvested water has been used to support native plants and restoration efforts in an area affected by degradation.
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water → harvest → degradation
This created a direct connection between atmospheric water harvesting and land restoration.
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This → create → harvesting
Rather than attempting to restore the landscape simply by planting vegetation and hoping for sufficient rainfall, the project created a small, locally controlled water source to support the recovery process.
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project → attempt → process
The collectors also support agriculture and livestock
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collectors → support → agriculture
The harvested water has several practical uses outside the reserve.
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water → harvest → reserve
Research on the community's system has documented its use for irrigation and livestock, while more recent projects have expanded its agricultural application.
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projects → document → application
In 2026, a new 10-panel system covering 90 square metres was installed to supply water for a 0.2-hectare plot growing forage crops.
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system → cover → crops
Chile's agricultural development agency INDAP said the project involved an investment of more than 28 million Chilean pesos and was designed to provide an additional source of water for local agricultural production.
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project → say → production
The new system demonstrates how the technology is being adapted not only for ecological restoration but also for the day-to-day needs of farming communities facing increasingly unreliable rainfall.
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technology → demonstrate → rainfall
The 650,000-litre figure needs some context
The headline figure refers to the reported potential of the current system rather than a guaranteed amount of water collected every year.
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figure → need → water
FAO says the 34 fog catchers, covering 306 square metres, can collect up to 650,000 litres annually, with collection particularly strong during periods when fog and wind conditions are favourable.
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conditions → say → periods
Earlier academic research provides a more specific measured figure.
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research → provide → figure
Monitoring of 28 meshes in 2021 recorded approximately 571,590 litres of harvested water.
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Monitoring → record → water
…and 32 more, not listed.
The Aporia
