Harvesting water from the air is not a new idea. Arid countries like Yemen are already using low tech watercones to funnel sea water to drinking water. Another funnelling device is being developed by an Italian designer to trap water vapor in a Warkawater tower to harvest potable water directly from the air.

Still another device, called the Roots Up Dew Collector, is now being developed for Ethiopia in a project together with the University of Gondar. The device, which can also be used to grow vegetables and other crops, is dew trapping and will be used in the country’s arid northern regions.

The dome-like structure uses plastic sheeting to trap water vapor  during the day, turning it into dew which is then changed into water when exposed to cool evening air.

Roots Up is an organization based in northern Ethiopia that is working together with local farmers to help them use more sustainable agricultural methods to produce crops.

The greenhouses can be placed over planted crops to provide them wth water as well as producing needed drinking water. Due to not needing any mechanical components (motors, etc), the device can be quicky moved from place to place and then erected quickly without needing any external power sources.  Their overall simplicity makes them a good solution in undeveloped arid regions.

Read more on ways to create drinking and irrigation water from water vapor:

Warka water towers pull drinking water out of thin air
Time to drink water from aircon units
Yemen funnels seawater to drinking water with the low tech watercone

Update 2024: looks like someone needs to make this happen. 

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al-Shehi’s idea is simple: take airborne moisture and turn it into clean water that is potable and healthy.

For the 31-year-old from Abu Dhabi, who is also involved in creating a green car wash hopes to grab rainwater or dew and then it can be adapted to “float or rest on a body of water above the water.”

In an interview with Khaleej Times, he talked about the massive energy cost as well as economic needs to have desalination projects across the UAE to turn sea water into drinking water.

“The cost involved with desalination is huge as it requires energy. ‘Alma’ can help reduce the cost drastically. An Alma would take up to 20 square miles and it can collect up to 253.6 million liters a month, serving many households in the UAE,” he told the newspaper.

Al-ma means “water” in Arabic.

The Alma invention also comes on the heels of a number of clean water projects in the UAE and according to experts Green Prophet spoke to, Shehi’s mechanism could be a boost for the region as water issues continue to rise and create tension between countries.

The Alma was patented in the United Kingdom via IP Consult, and according to the patent document, “can be anchored to collect airborne moisture such as rain water, dew or mist over water bodies such as seas or lakes. The water thus collected is pure and does not require desalination for commercial usage.”

This was the second time he attempted to have the idea patented, failing in August 2011, but successful this time around.

The patent number in is GB 2493699A.

“This is a unique invention with great potential for countries with poor water resources like the UAE or other regional countries. I am planning to seek investors to commercialize this invention and market it to countries that can benefit from it. As an initial step, we will seek to present it soon to environmental bodies,” Shehi said.

According to the newspaper, he is a trained electrical and electronics engineer with a degree from Huddersfield University in West Yorkshire.

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