Answer

Introduction

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), introduced as an ornamental plant during colonial rule, has today spread across over 2,00,000 hectares of India’s inland waters. Its unchecked proliferation has turned rivers, lakes, and backwaters into “green deserts,” threatening livelihoods, biodiversity, and governance systems. Vembanad Lake in Kerala, a Ramsar site, faces severe ecological and economic risks from this invasive weed.

Body

Ecological, Economic & Governance Challenges of Water Hyacinth

• Agriculture disruption: Thick mats obstruct irrigation canals and paddy drainage, reducing water flow, increasing labour costs, and lowering yields for farmers.
  Eg: In Kuttanad, Kerala’s ‘rice bowl,’ farmers spend more time and money clearing canals for cultivation.
• Fisheries collapse: Water hyacinth blocks fish breeding grounds, reduces oxygen levels, and entangles nets, undermining traditional fishing livelihoods.
• Tourism and transport decline: The weed clogs waterways, reduces navigability, and mars scenic landscapes, directly threatening eco-tourism and local transport.
• Greenhouse gas emissions: Decomposing biomass produces methane, a super-potent greenhouse gas, worsening climate challenges linked to inland waters.
  Eg: Global studies confirm that water hyacinth mats substantially elevate CH₄ emissions in freshwater bodies.
• Biodiversity erosion: Hyacinth mats prevent sunlight penetration and oxygen exchange, suffocating aquatic flora and fauna and collapsing food chains.
• Governance fragmentation: Responsibility for control is split among agriculture, fisheries, irrigation, and environment departments, causing duplication and inefficiency.
  Eg: In Odisha’s Chilika Lake, overlapping responsibilities among agencies complicate effective de-weeding strategy.

Impacts on Environment & Ecology in India

• Light and oxygen blockade: Thick mats cut off sunlight penetration and oxygen diffusion into water, leading to suffocation of aquatic organisms.
• Biodiversity loss: Native aquatic plants and animals are displaced as invasive monocultures dominate and alter natural ecosystems.
  Eg: Bellandur Lake (Karnataka) has seen native species vanish as hyacinth proliferates unchecked.
• Hydrological disturbance: Hyacinth obstructs natural water flow, exacerbating flooding, creating stagnant pools, and lowering water quality.
• Collapse of aquatic food chains: By suffocating fish nurseries and reducing phytoplankton, the weed destabilises predator-prey relationships.
• Tourism and ecotourism degradation: The choking of waterways diminishes scenic beauty and reduces accessibility for boats, hitting eco-tourism revenue.
  Eg: Kerala’s houseboat tourism industry suffers losses due to clogged Vembanad backwaters.
• Climate impact from emissions: Large-scale decay of the plant releases methane, contributing to global warming from inland water ecosystems.
  Eg: Hyacinth decomposition adds potent greenhouse gases, with methane 25 times more powerful than CO₂.

Region-Specific Policy Framework for Management

• Single-point accountability: A unified authority should coordinate removal, research, and utilisation strategies across states.
  Eg: A National Aquatic Weed Management Mission could pool resources for states like Assam, Bihar, and Kerala.
• Mechanised and scientific removal: Leverage technology for efficient harvest, especially where manual labour is scarce.
  Eg: Mechanised weed removal drives in Loktak Lake (Manipur) and Chilika Lake (Odisha) are under trial.
• Promote circular-economy uses: Convert hyacinth into marketable products via SHGs and rural enterprises.
  Eg: In Odisha, women’s self-help groups craft baskets, furniture, and handicrafts from water hyacinth, while in Assam and West Bengal it is innovatively used for paper and biogas production.
• Community–academia–policy collaboration: Encourage multi-stakeholder engagement for sustainable solutions.
  Eg: Assam’s Deepor Beel collaboration between universities and fisher cooperatives exemplifies inclusive conservation.
• Awareness campaigns & local adoption: Promote citizen-led hyacinth harvesting linked to livelihoods and environmental care.

Conclusion

Water hyacinth must be tackled as both hazard and resource. A single nodal agency with region-specific action plans, mechanised removal, and continuous monitoring is essential. Converting biomass into compost, biofuel, and crafts through SHGs and cooperatives can create income streams. Embedding hyacinth control into wetland and irrigation governance will restore ecosystems, secure livelihoods, and cut methane emissions transforming infested waters into productive, resilient commons.

DOWNLOAD PDF