The ULS academic publication presents the different sources of non-conventional water resources, focusing on those with the greatest potential in arid and semi-arid areas. It also includes a brief historical review, feasibility of use and associated technologies. 

The severe problems of water scarcity faced by large areas of the planet, and which is especially exacerbated in arid and semi-arid areas, where rainfall is increasingly scarce, has motivated the search and use of non-conventional water resources, such as, for example, rainwater, fog, dew, seawater desalination and wastewater.

Encouraging the use of these is precisely one of the objectives of the book developed by academics and researchers from the University of La Serena, Dr. Sonia Montecinos and Dr. Danilo Carvajal, who present this work, the result of the results of research that points to propose water harvesting and capture systems in the context of the water crisis faced in different parts of the world, such as the Coquimbo Region. 

“Its purpose is to inform the academic and non-academic public about non-conventional water resources and encourage their use and also their research. It is information that can be useful for people who want to implement them,” says Dr. Carvajal, one of the authors of this publication from Editorial ULS, which uses language that makes it accessible to the general public, high schools and university students.

Dr. Montecinos explains that "there are several ways in which you can take advantage of a non-conventional water resource, for example, harvesting water through fog, where in our region it is formed up to 20 kilometers away from the coast and above 500 meters in the coastal mountain range. Taking this data into consideration, fog catchers can be installed. Having a clear objective of what they want to do with that water, they can take advantage of the resource. Another clear and not distant example of our reality is dew, since if we had collection gutters in our houses, we could collect water, not for human consumption, but to use for irrigation and other purposes.

Regarding the publication of this book, the Seremi de Medio Ambiente, Leonardo Gros, highlights that the text “becomes a very important input, given that it proposes searching for new non-conventional sources of water, and that opens a space for dialogue and debate in the region. I think it is a tremendous contribution from the technical, academic point of view and the hard data it provides.”

The launch of the book allowed a meeting between various actors involved and interested, professionals, students, ULS authorities and decision makers from the public sphere, also counting on the participation of Dr. Pablo Álvarez, academic and director of the PROMMRA ULS Laboratory and the Quitai Consortium. Anko, who highlighted the forecast of water demand in the coming years in the Coquimbo Region, for which he foresees the insufficiency of water resources in the area. 

The work carried out by ULS researchers emphasizes the commitment that the academy has with the community that surrounds it, seeking to positively impact public policies and seeking to raise awareness in the population.