Ancient Peruvian Water-Harvesting System Could Lessen Modern Water Shortages
Sometimes, modern problems require ancient solutions. A 1,400-year-old Peruvian water-diverting method could supply up to 40,000 Olympic-size swimming pools' worth of water to present-day Lima each year, according to new research published in Nature Sustainability. It's one example of how indigenous methods could supplement existing modern infrastructure in water-scarce countries worldwide. More than a billion people across the world face water scarcity. Artificial reservoirs store rainwater and runoff for use during drier times, but reservoirs are costly, require years to plan and can still fail to meet water needs. Just last week, the reservoirs in Chennai, India, ran nearly dry, forcing its 4 million residents to rely on government water tankers. Animation showing monthly rainfall in the tropical Andes. Humid air transports water vapor from the Amazon…