The Art of Fog Catching

Valeria Cardi | 2018 | 12 min.

2019 Official Selection

Growing up on Mount Boutmezguida in southwest Morocco on the edge of the Sahara desert, Khadija Ghouate never imagined that the fog enveloping the nearby peaks would change her life. With groundwater levels dropping due to overuse, drought and climate change, the challenge to get enough water was becoming harder each day, and almost half of people in the local area sold up and quit rural life after generations for the city. As the future of the traditional Berber region by Mount Boutmezguida floundered, a mathematician whose family came from the area had a eureka moment gleaned from living overseas – using fog to make water. Now Ghouate’s village is connected to the world’s largest functioning fog collection project, alleviating the need to collect water that fell mainly on women, and with state-of-the-art equipment setting an example for other projects globally.