Dual Atmospheric and Rainwater Harvesting Tower

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Access to clean water remains limited in remote highland communities in Thailand due to insufficient infrastructure and seasonal variability, despite relatively high annual rainfall. At the same time, frequent fog occurrence in mountainous regions represents an underutilized atmospheric water resource. This study presents the design and development of the Dual Atmospheric and Rainwater Harvesting Tower, an integrated system that combines fog and rainwater harvesting to support decentralized water supply in remote communities. Methods: A design and development approach was adopted to conceptualize a passive water-harvesting system integrating atmospheric moisture capture, rainwater collection, and basic water treatment functions. The system architecture was developed based on the selection of locally available materials and low-cost components to ensure suitability for community-based implementation. The proposed configuration incorporates fog collection elements, a rainwater capture unit, and a multi-stage passive filtration process for preliminary water treatment. Results: The design process produced a fully integrated system architecture that enables dual-source water harvesting within a single passive structure. The final design demonstrates the feasibility of combining fog and rainfall capture with decentralized filtration and simple water-quality indication in a unified framework. The system is engineered to operate without external energy input while prioritizing affordability, structural simplicity, and adaptability to highland environmental conditions. Conclusions: The Dual Atmospheric and Rainwater Harvesting Tower provides a design and development framework for integrating atmospheric water harvesting and basic treatment processes for community-level applications. The proposed system offers a conceptually scalable approach to improving water accessibility in highland regions. Further work will focus on prototype construction and field validation to assess operational performance and environmental robustness under real-world conditions.