A national policy with region-specific implementation strategies is what can end the grave damage being caused by this invasive aquatic plant
‘Inland waters across India have been smothered, disrupting lives and livelihoods’ | Photo Credit: The Hindu
Every monsoon, a quiet menace surges across India’s waterways, turning glistening rivers, backwaters and lakes into green deserts. This threat is the water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), an innocuous-looking aquatic plant which has delicate lilac flowers that belies its destructive power. Nowhere is its impact more pervasive than in Kerala — a State renowned for its intricate network of backwaters and the famed Vembanad Lake.
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Introduced in India during colonial rule as an ornamental plant, the water hyacinth’s prodigious growth has since overwhelmed the very ecosystems and communities it decorates. Today, it is estimated that over 2,00,000 hectares of inland waters nationwide have been smothered by this weed, disrupting the lives and livelihoods of countless Indians.
Impacts of the Invasion of Water Hyacinth
Ecological Devastation:
The dense mat prevents sunlight from penetrating the water, halting photosynthesis by aquatic plants.
This leads to a drastic reduction in dissolved oxygen in the water, a condition known as hypoxia.
The lack of oxygen causes ecological asphyxiation, literally suffocating aquatic flora and fauna, killing fish and other organisms.
Entire underwater food webs are unravelled, and native aquatic plant species are eliminated, severely damaging biodiversity.
Vembanad Lake in Kerala, a Ramsar-recognised wetland of international importance, is a prime example of this ecological crisis.
Economic Ruin:
Fishermen are severely impacted as dense mats entangle their nets, obstruct boat movement, and cause fish populations to decline, threatening their livelihoods.
Farmers, especially paddy cultivators in regions like Kuttanad in Kerala (known as the ‘rice bowl of Kerala’), face immense challenges.
Water hyacinth blocks irrigation channels, impedes water flow to fields, and chokes crops, significantly driving up cultivation costs and efforts.
Tourism and transport suffer heavily, particularly in states like Kerala renowned for backwaters and houseboats.
Houseboats get stuck, water transport is halted, and the overall appeal to tourists diminishes.
Climate Threat:
As the vast accumulated biomass of water hyacinth decays, it releases methane (CH4).
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, over 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide (CO2) at trapping heat, thus significantly contributing to global warming.
Health Hazards:
The stagnant water caused by water hyacinth mats creates ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
This leads to the increased spread of vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue, posing a direct threat to public health.
Approaches to tackle the menace of water hyacinth
Isolated Approaches: Communities and innovators across India are making efforts to transform this ‘pest’ into a resource.
Women’s Self-Help Groups in Odisha skilfully weave water hyacinth into handicrafts, baskets, and furniture.
In Assam and West Bengal, it is being converted into paper and biogas.
Some areas are exploring its use for organic compost.
A National Policy and United Action: Addressing the water hyacinth menace demands a strong, coordinated policy thrust.
The responsibility is currently diffused across multiple government departments, including agriculture, fisheries, environment, and irrigation, leading to fragmented and often short-term efforts.
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Measures to Reduce the Menace of Water Hyacinth
A National Policy with Region-Specific Strategies: This policy must be tailored to the unique conditions and challenges of different regions, ensuring effective implementation across states like Kerala and Bengal.
Single-Point Accountability: A single nodal agency must be established to oversee and manage the problem, eliminating the current lack of clear responsibility.
Scientific Removal and Mechanisation: Utilise advanced scientific methods and mechanised solutions for removal, particularly in areas where labour is expensive or scarce.
Scaling Up Innovation: Provide robust policy support, financial incentives, and a strong value chain to help innovators expand their efforts in creating valuable products from water hyacinth.
Encourage Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in this endeavour.
Enhanced Research and Development (R&D): Invest in research to discover new and more efficient ways to manage and utilise water hyacinth, including its potential for crafts, biofuels, compost, and textiles.
Awareness and Community Engagement: There is a need to bring experts, communities, and policymakers together to foster systematic and sustainable solutions and shift the perception of water hyacinth from a mere pest to a potential resource for livelihoods.
Conclusion
India’s rivers and lakes are too precious to be stifled by neglect — or by a single invasive plant.
The water hyacinth menace calls for urgency, accountability and united action.
Every community, government department, entrepreneur and citizen must recognise that this is not just an ecological problem but a crucible for rural livelihoods, food security, climate resilience and a green economy.
NOTE – This article was originally published in The Hindu and can be viewed here
