L7 - Lima: High and Dry

Question 1

Give an example of a settlement in Lima which uses fog catchers

Answer 1

Bellavista

Question 2

How much rainfall does Lima receive annually?

Answer 2

40mm

Question 3

How many months per year is Lima covered if sea mist/fog?

Answer 3

9 months

Question 4

What are the fog catchers made out of?

Answer 4

A plastic mesh and wooden or metal stems

Question 5

Where do the droplets which hit the fog catcher transfer to?

Answer 5

They run through gutters, a filter, and into a large 1100 litre tank for storage

Question 6

How much does a fog catcher typically cost to build?

Answer 6

Just less than $800

Question 7

Is this a large scale or small scale project?

Answer 7

Small scale

Question 8

Where does the local community get the money to pay to maintain the fog catchers from?

Answer 8

From selling the fruit of the Tara tree

Question 9

What are some uses of the water gained from the fog catchers?

Answer 9

Agriculture (irrigation), and washing clothes

Question 10

Is the water potable (drinkable)?

Answer 10

No - the local community still needs to pay for water which they can drink

Question 11

Why are the fog catchers important?

Answer 11

Around a quarter of Lima’s population lack basic water services, and many are poor so they may not have enough money to pay for water to be delivered to them

Question 12

What other source of water does Lima rely on?

Answer 12

Rivers - there are three in Lima which supply the city with glacial melt water. However, the tropical glaciers in Peru are melting, meaning the melt water in the rivers will disappear.

Question 13

Fill in the gaps: Social benefits of this project include better Quality of ___, ___ infection from ____-____ diseases, and less _______ on others.

Answer 13

life; less; water-borne; dependency

Question 14

Economic benefits of fog catchers include…

Answer 14

The local community can maintain it themselves, and fog catchers are affordable

Question 15

Name some environmental benefits

Answer 15

Local resources are used; a more regular water supply; suitable for the environment (does not harm it)

Question 16

A disadvantage of the fog catchers?

Answer 16

Cannot be implemented on a larger scale so that the rest of Lima (places not near the Pacific Ocean) have better access to water

Question 17

How do fog catchers collect water?

Answer 17

The tiny droplets in the sea mist stick to the mesh. As more and more droplets stick to the mesh, they clump together, and are pulled down into the gutter by gravity.

Question 18

How does the local community get involved?

Answer 18

They have ownership of the fog catchers, and can use their skills and expertise to maintain them and build more.

Question 19

How many litres of water can a family get per day?

Answer 19

50-150 litres of water

Question 20

Some benefits of small scale projects include…?

Answer 20

• Reliable water supply
• Improved water quality, therefore less water-borne diseases
• Local community get involved and use their skills
• Minimised water collection time from other sources, e.g. rivers