“The 30ft high bamboo flower basket can resolve drinking water from thin air. Actually the name of ‘WarkaWater’ comes from the Warka Tree, an enormous natural fig tree and native to Ethiopia. They are conventionally used for public gatherings and school education.
These types of trees are an extremely important part of the ecosystem and culture of Ethiopia. The Bamboo WarkaWater basket was invented by an Italian, Arturo Vittori. Its main purpose is to bring drinking water to villages in Africa.
The bamboo structure uses condensation to remove moisture from the air using a specially developing material. It is hoped that the concept will help bring the water to people who are living in Africa. The Warka Water tree plays a significant role on culture of Ethiopia and its disappearance seems unfortunately unavoidable.
This project has conceived for the mountainous regions in Ethiopia, where women and children walk several hours to collect water. In most of the areas they are called as source of life.
The WarkaWater basket is intended to provide hygienic water as well as ensure the long-term environmental, social and financial sustainability, designer Arturo Vittori told Wired. These constructed “trees” are designed for areas where digging wells is not possible. Most of the people will be able to teach other villages and communities to build the WarkaWater towers: Drinking water from the air .
The bamboo framework has been specifically engineered by fabric hanging inside it and it should be capable of collecting the clean water by extracting condensation from the air. The lightweight structure can be built with local skills and materials by the village inhabitants. It should be fixed and lifted to the ground without any special equipment.
The stable triangular framework of the tower is achieved by connecting the bamboo either with natural fiber, plastic or metal wires. The tower can also be outfitted with a solar-powered LED, which is used to provide illumination at night, giving the chance to children to study after sunset and also supporting the social space in the village in the evening.
Each nine-meter tower costs approximately $550 (£330) and can be built in under a week with a team of four-person and locally available materials. In further developments muscle powered energy can be produced by people while gathering under the Bamboo WarkaWater tree.”
Written and posted by Soumya Ranjan April 10, 2014
Creative by Nature 