On the left (B.) is Sidi Ifni and to the right (A.) are the Anti-Atlas Mountains
First, thank you SO MUCH to everyone who donated to this pitch. I’ve wanted to write this story for almost a year now and I couldn’t do it without your support.
My first announcement is that I’ll be visiting Sidi Ifni in the summer instead of this month. A few weeks ago I spoke with Jamila Bargach, my contact in Morocco and she informed me that even though the nets are up and are collecting water, local workers still need to lay the pipes that will carry the water 30km down the mountains into Sidi Ifni. Because the project is behind schedule, the villagers in Sidi Ifni won’t receive water from the fog nets until June or July.
The good news is I can continue conducting background research up until the summer which I believe will make the story even stronger. Thus far I’ve been in contact with FogQuest, the non-profit who sent down a group of engineers to set up the nets. I’ve also been in contact with MIT researcher Shreerang Chhatre. Chhatre is trying to improve the absorption capacity of the nets used for fog-harvesting.
This is the first of many blog posts that will keep you up to date and give you behind the scenes accounts of how the story is coming together. If you have any comments, questions or criticisms please let me know.
With gratitude,
Lindsey
Posted by Lindsey Hoshaw on 02/07/12
