Operational fog collection and its role in environmental education and social reintegration:

A case study in Colombia

FOGDEW
2010-67 Concepcion Escobar(1), Andres Lopez, Hector Aristizabal, Jose M. Molina(2)
We describe the implementation process of the first operational fog collection project in Colombia and discuss its role in rural water supply, in environmental education issues and in the process of “social reintegration” of people who have been victims of forced displacement. Both the fog collection evaluation stage and
construction and administration of the operational system involved the participation of the community of a rural village. Eight standard fog collectors (SFC) were implemented and used during the period May/2008 - Feb/2009 in order to assess the water yield from fog. The best average monthly collection rate in the period
of study was around 2.0 l.m-2.day-1. The fog collection system benefits a rural school, and the water is mainly used in small-scale irrigation activities for horticultural crops and livestock development. The project has also brought positive impacts in the community organization, and allows agriculture- and environment-
related issues to be incorporated in children’s current education. Additional efforts to increase the number of LFCs in the study zone are underway.

BACKGROUND EXPERIMENT IMPLEMENTATION AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT OPERATIONAL FOG COLLECTION PROJECT
(Molina and Escobar, 2008)
 Characteristics of the site  Construction

 Hydrological droughts occur naturally in some regions of the Colombian watersheds, some of  Rural zone in the Andes Mountain Range,  A 25 m2 net, polypropylene mesh
them associated with large-scale climatic phenomena like El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO). with villagers comprising people who have (35%), is implemented in the ridgeline,
been victims of forced displacement close to a rural school
 The associated water scarcity is aggravated by an advancing deforestation of the native highland  Altitudes ranging from 2600 to 2800 m. a.s.l.  The water collection and hydraulic
forests. In addition, water pollution restricts in some cases the use of water sources.  Climate is bimodal and semiarid (annual systems are built by the village
mean rainfall ~ 550 mm), and affected by inhabitants. Volunteering is a key aspect
 Both climate phenomena and human-induced events have negative consequences in terms of large-scale climate oscillations of the community involvement. Local
water availability in rural areas, both for human consumption and for agricultural purposes.  Livestock and small-scale agriculture materials are used
(horticultural crops) carried out at farm
 Low water availability in mountainous zones of the Colombian Andes could be managed partially  Water scarcity limits economic development  Use of water
by means of water from fog collection.
 Fog collection experiment  The fog collection system benefits the
rural school, and the water is mainly
FOG COLLECTION (using SFCs) IN COLOMBIA  SFC (Schemenauer and Cereceda (1994a, used in small-scale irrigation activities
1994b)) used to test water collection from for horticultural crops and livestock
fog. Six SFCs implemented at different sites development . A low-volume, high-
 The period of analysis of fog and rain frequency irrigation system was
Location N W Altitude Period of study Fog + rain collection Fog only collection
collection is May/2008 – Feb/2009 implemented for efficient use of water
(m.a.s.l.) (l/m2.d) (l/m2.d)
 Local materials used to construct SFCs
Roldanillo 4o 27' 76o 27' 1820 Nov/2003 - Feb/2005 5.3 (1) 5.0 (2) (Molina and Escobar, 2008)  Social reintegration
Kilometro 18 3o 31' 76o 37' 2020 Mar/2005 - Oct/2005 6.3(1) N.A.
Buga 4o 03' 76o 07' 2600 May/2008 -Feb/2009 1.9(1) 1.0 (2)  Community Involvement  The project has brought positive impacts in the
community organization. The experience has become
Atuncela 3o 44' 76o 41' 1210 Feb/2010 - up to date 1.1(1) N.A.
 Villagers were hired to construct SFCs. a model to be replicated in neighboring places
(1) Values correspond to daily average rates of Fog + Rain over the month with the best water yield
They were also instructed to take field
(2) Values correspond to daily average rates of Fog only over the month with the best water yield
measurements  Environmental Education
 A community organization is created for
planning construction and management of  The operational project supports children’s education
the future operational fog collection project in environmental issues (water cycle, water supply,
STUDY REGION AT BUGA (VALLE DEL CAUCA), COLOMBIA sustainable development, meteorology, etc.)
 The children’s instruction in the economic
FOG COLLECTION VARIABILITY & IRRIGATION SYSTEM development of the region is increased by using best
and sustainable practices
 Box and Whiskers
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Monthly average Fog + Rain  Food and water security

 The line dividing the box represents
5

May-Feb average Fog + Rain

Collection rate (l.m-2.d-1)

the median.  As the water availability increases, the project brings

4

 The top (75% quartile) and bottom new economic inputs to the community.
(25% quartile) of the box encompass
3

the interquartile range (IQR)

 Whiskers span the 5% and 95%
2

quartiles.
FINAL REMARKS & FUTURE WORK
1

 The span of the IQR and whiskers

represents the underlying monthly fog  Fog collection at a large-scale started successfully in Colombia, and results encourage several
0

collection variability individuals and agencies to replicate this experience at new sites
May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb
 Fog collection plays an important role in social reintegration of people who have been victims of
forced displacement in Colombia, helps to eradicate poverty by increasing food and water security,
provide access to clean water, protects the environment and support economic development
 Additional efforts to increase the number of LFCs in the study zone are underway, and at the same
time, new experiments with SFCs started at new locations

REFERENCES

 Molina J.M. and C.M. Escobar (2008), Fog collection variability in the Andean Mountain Range of
southern Colombia. DIE ERDE 139 (1-2), 127 -140
 Schemenauer, R.S. and P. Cereceda (1994a), Fog collection’s role in water planning for developing
countries. Natural Resources Forum 18, 91-100
 Schemenauer, R.S. and P. Cereceda (1994b), A proposed standard fog collector for use in high
elevation regions. Journal of Applied Meteorology 33 (11), 1313 - 1322

Acknowledgements: Partial funding for this project by Corporacion Autonoma Regional del Valle del Cauca and GAIACOL under contract ID105-2007 is gratefully acknowledged.
(1) jaisamar_03@hotmail.com (2) jmmolina@engr.colostate.edu