How can a large city find water for 10 million people if it is in the desert? Fog-catching nets on hills around the city of Lima, the capital of Peru, could solve the city’s water shortages for good. A twenty-meter high net tower will soon be displayed in the city as a solution to the problem.
Peru’s capital city has just one inch of rain a year. The city sees high annual temperatures and water consumption rates. Located in a desert, the city’s temperatures are higher than world averages. However, a unique feature of Lima’s weather offers a way of meeting some of this demand. Located on the coast, Lima’s surrounding hills are constantly bathed in waves of fog coming off the Pacific Ocean, and the moisture (湿气) taken in by plants ensures they stay green year-round.
Inspired by fog nets placed by rural communities across the continent, Alberto Fernandez, a Chilean architect currently studying for a Ph.D. from University College London, has designed a series of towers and fog-catching nets. They can collect as much as 1,000 liters of water per day, amounting to 3.6 million liters per year, if enough are put into use. Their towering structure allows them to get into the clouds, collecting more vital water vapor (蒸气), and their unique shape means that no matter the direction of the wind, the moisture-rich fog will strike some part of the structure directly.
The water will largely be used for agriculture — as the water would require filtering (过滤) before consumption — helping free up resources for city residents. Cheaper than filtering water from the Rimac River, these towers and nets, which Fernandez says could be built up to 200 meters high, are part of a series of designs for the Lima 2035 project. It aims to change current desertification and create a new place for sustainable and human-centered food systems that promote healthy diets and improve incomes in the driest city on Earth.
【小题1】What makes plants in Lima stay green year-round?| A．The heavy rainfall. | B．The high temperature. |
| C．The net tower. | D．The unique location. |
| A．The direction of the wind. | B．The moisture-rich fog. |
| C．The height of the tower. | D．The fog-catching net. |
| A．Supply drinking water. | B．Turn desert into rich soil. |
| C．Increase food production. | D．Develop healthy lifestyles. |
| A．Fog-catching towers help solve water shortage |
| B．The driest city on Earth faces a serious problem |
| C．Fernandez designed the first fog-catching net |
| D．Water plays a role in a sustainable food system |
