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In News
- Recently, water hyacinth was used to make eco-friendly products, generate employment in rural West Bengal.
Water Hyacinth
- About:
- Scientifically known as Eichhornia crassipes Mart. (Pontederiaceae)
- It is an aquatic weed common in water bodies across South Asia, including India.
- This is not an indigenous species but was introduced to India during the British colonial rule as an ornamental aquatic plant from South America.
- The plant produces beautiful purple flowers that have high aesthetic value.
- Usage:
- The plant has been used as a bio-fertiliser in some organic agriculture practices.
- It has been reported that this plant is a good phytoremediation species, suggesting it has the ability to trap and remove toxic metabolites and harmful heavy metals from water.
- But more research needs to be conducted to find suitable use for the notorious weed.
Image Courtesy: DTE
- Concerns:
- It is an obnoxious weed that has been suffocating surface freshwater sources like rivers, rivulets, streams, ponds, dams, lakes and bogs.
- It makes the water bodies unsuitable for commercial fishery, transportation and recreation.
- It is an expensive and labour-intensive process to remove this weed from time to time.
- This water hyacinth has become a serious problem plant for the ecosystem.
- The plant is a prolific vegetable matter-producer and has the ability to choke out any closed waterbody at an astonishing rate.
- This cuts off sunlight as well as reduces oxygen level in the water, making it unfit for commercial use.
Source: DTE
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