Help fund the brilliant Warka Water tower to pull drinking water out of thin air

Safe water is a fundamental human need, but 780 million people—about one in nine—lack access to <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/clean-water" target="_blank">clean water</a>. The <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/366225655/warka-water-each-drop-counts" target="_blank">Warka Water</a> tower is a brilliant design that can pull pull drinking water out of thin air, providing an affordable and effective solution to chronic water shortage worldwide—if it’s successfully funded. To help fund their pilot project in Ethiopia, the international Warka Water team just launched a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/366225655/warka-water-each-drop-counts" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a> - and they need your help.

The structures are designed to be owned by the villagers and serve as a community gathering space.

Each tower is made from local and biodegradable materials such as bamboo, hemp, and bio-plastic.

The team drew inspiration from the way natural organisms collect water as well as from Ethiopian craftsmanship to create the Warka Water tower, a woven basket-like structure that sustainably harvests dew, fog, and rain into potable water.

The Warka Water project was inspired by a trip the design team took in 2012 to isolated villages in northeast Ethiopia that lacked access to clean and safe water.

The 132-pound, easy-to-maintain structure costs approximately $1,000 and can be constructed in just four days by a team of six.

Warka Water is covered in a mesh fabric with a special coating that allows water collection.

The Warka Water tower is estimated to harvest between 50 and 100 liters of potable water every day and can store up to 1,000 liters.

The funds from the Warka Water Kickstarter will support the team’s first field test in Ethiopia, a crucial phase that would allow the team to scale up and launch pilots in other regions.