COLLABORATIVE APPROACHES TO SOLUTIONS IN ERA OF CLIMATE DISASTER.
TLF ALTERNATIVES
WATER HYACINTH AS A RESOURCE: DEVELOPING KNOWHOW, VIABLE PROJECTS AND DEPLOYMENT MODELS
By Girijaa Upadhyay April 2024
- WATER HYACYNTH-(WH) FROM FOE TO FRIEND, ADVERSARY TO ALLY IN ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY & DEALING WITH CLIMATE CHANGE
- INDIA’S ENGAGEMENT WITH THE “BLUE DEVIL”!
- TOWARDS ECONOMICALLY VIABLE PROJECTS AND MODELS OF DEPLOYMENT-A SYMPOSIUM APPROACH
- LIST OF FEW REFERENCES/ LINKS
- WATER HYACYNTH – FROM FOE TO FRIEND
Recently Water Hyacinth (WH) has been in the news close to home, both for its adverse effects on the local habitat and health as well as its defiance to efforts for its physical removal and control. A global story it appears! WH’s (adverse) effects range from change in water chemistry, affecting flora and fauna, ecological effects on aquatic life to problems for marine transportation, fishing, for hydro power, irrigation schemes and a serious threat to biodiversity, affecting livelihoods, the list goes on.
WH or Pontederia crassipes (formerly Eichhornia crassipes) famed for its beautiful violet flowers is infamous for being a most invasive species with a rapid pace of reproduction. Interestingly, increasing environmental temperatures, resulting from the elevated atmospheric GHG, further favors the growth and spread of WH. This weed , originally an Amazonian inhabitant has spread across water bodies freshwater across the world, posing common problems of an invasive and aggressive species and being dealt with in various ways as part of local efforts. Both indigenous experiential knowledge of the WH and scientific research on its various biological, physical and phytochemical compositions and their effects and interactions with microorganisms have seen the transformation of a toxic weed into an important resource for combatting many ecological problems.
One comes across literature on use of WH, more commonly to make paper, use as bio fuels. Commonly tried methods for physical control involving use of chemicals has not met with success . It appears from experience elsewhere that the success with chemicals was short lived not to mention unintended consequences on other forms of life. So too the caution with the introduction of natural pests in an alien biosystem.
Ironically however based on extensive scientific scrutiny on this resilient life form, WH today is perceived to hold many environmental solutions and other benefits for mankind. From a foe it is now perceived as mankind’s ally , as a valuable resource, even more heightened in the current era of climate disasters.
An excellent summary on these possibilities is presented in a well referenced (138 references)scientific paper titled “The Multifaceted Function of Water Hyacinth in Maintaining Environmental Sustainability and the Underlying Mechanisms: A Mini Review” By Jing Xu,* Xiaoxiao Li, and Tianpeng Gao*
( Published in the International Journal of environmental and Public Health
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec; 19(24): 16725.
The list of uses ranges from its phytoremediation properties-super absorbent of various pollutants, heavy metals, radioactive metals, dyes, pesticides, pharma residues, newer industrial pollutants such as BPA, PFOA, plastics and organic pollutants. Its environmentally friendly use ranges from bio fuels to being a carbon sink for carbon capture. Newer contemporary uses include WH’s and its biochar in super capacitors/ new batteries. The other uses of WH listed in the study include fish and livestock feed for its nutrition and disease resistance of animals because of its antimicrobial activity ;inhibiting growth of a wide range of micro-organisms, bacteria, fungi and algae; demonstrated anti–cancer/anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, neuropharmacological, hepatoprotective and wounding healing qualities hence considered a medicinal plant in some African and Asian countries; excellent source of planting matrix and fertilizer and composting ;Its richness in cellulose becoming a raw material in producing some other value-added products, such as handicrafts, paper, filter membranes, furfural, fibers, used to alter cement hardening time.
Both in curbing global warming and pollution remediation WH is counted as a valuable resource. To develop better economic and environmental impacts for WH would also fit with climate adaptation initiatives. Apart from satellites, today mapping of WH areas is possible with drones technology. The study bestows WH the title- “An active Participant in Coping with the Global Warming Crisis”.
C. WH AND THE INDIA STORY- A FLASHBACK!
An Article in GetBengal,November 2022, describes India’s historical experience of dealing with (WH), nicknamed the Blue Devil in Bengal. There was even a water hyacinth act of 1936. WH had a checkered history, where its nitrogen and potash content resulted in it being considered as a source of potash during the shortages of WWI. Techno economic viability of WH as a potash source notwithstanding, this proposal lost to the overriding health concern (as the WH infested water bodies were a breeding ground for anopheles mosquitoes). How do locals deal with this plant, with indigenous knowledge–The plant is now utilized in alternative ways, as floating fields in flood prone areas of Bengal, as manure; the leaf is used as fodder in floodplains when fodder is scarce. Handicraft items are also made from dried water hyacinth plants.
D. TECHNOLOGY/KNOWHOW/EXPERIENC SHARING IN THE ERA OF CLIMATE DISASTER
The need of current times is an Accelerator for various efforts at addressing climate disaster impacts. This places an onus on the mighty giants of oil and gas, heavy industries, advanced technologies as AI, space but simultaneously (advanced) local management of environmental impacts are in no way to be poohpoohed. Despite a longstanding problem for habitats around water bodies troubled by WH, their engagement appears to be at local and individual or community driven enterprise levels. This essay poses whether a collective brainstorming sharing of experiences, utilization of advanced research, mechanization scope would result in better technology/ process improvements, scalability,as also models of entrepreneurial engagement with WH as a resource that could provide both financial and environmental returns.
CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVE- COSTS TO COST/BENEFIT.
Physical control of WH includes manual removal, mechanical dredging, chemical control by spraying herbicides, biological control by releasing insect enemies and pathogenic fungi, and integrated control by combining two or more of methods each carrying its own cost implications and drawbacks. The Dec2022 study cites a reference which mentions that almost $46 million was spent on managing aquatic invasive weeds, mainly WH, in the California Bay-Delta during 2013–2016 Some assessments of benefits from various scale operations of using WH have also been mentioned in this study. The full potential of WH as a techno economic and sustainable climate ally is yet to be explored and assessed as a economic activity. This is one agenda that might benefit from collective brainstorming.
At present it appears that processing of WH is a local/ location specific industrial initiative, community or entrepreneurial tied to the resource location -i.e. where water hyacinth is harvested from the water body. Both the times, context and state of knowledge as regards WH have changed. Sharing, identifying new areas where production processes could be improved and so on would have a far reaching effect solving problems faced in WH habitats across the world. Also in its new avatar of maintaining environmental sustainability how best could societies use WH to address climate change concerns.
What could be the appropriate deployment model or project protypes for dealing with this resource is also a corollary. Who could benefit from this activity as an enterprise. Could it be local coops or private corporate units or collectives like the Amul model. Much will depend on the techno economic viability of various options for determining the most feasible models. Experiences across the world in utilization of WH as an economic and environmental impact resource could improve the effectiveness of engagements. Areas which would enhance scalability and economic returns, where mechanisation and relevant local innovations could be used, would be subjects for discussion.
A global Water Hyacinth symposium including organisations that are in agroecology, Climate innovation, local bodies facing problems, entrepreneurs is the need of the day. The objective of such a symposium would be to share knowledge , identify areas for enhancing benefits and design an attractive enterprise prototype around WH in its new avatar ,as a sustainable resource and an ally to deal with Climate impacts.
LIST OF FEW REFERENCES/ LINKS
1.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9779344/#:~:text=While%20being%20a%20noxious%20macrophyte%2C%20WH%20has%20great,therefore%2C%20is%20a%20sustainable%20strategy%20for%20its%20control. Published online 2022 Dec 13. Doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416725)
2.https://library.uniteddiversity.coop/Water_and_Sanitation/water_hyacinth_control.pdf
3.Lara-Serrano et al. (2016). “Water hyacinth,” BioResources 11(3), 7214-7223.
4.A startup venture making paper and products from water hyacinth in Assam also featured in PM’s Man ki baat. https://www.kumbhikagaz.com/
6.Machine for removal of water hyacinth by Godasu Narsimha
7. source https://www.getbengal.com/details/water-hyacinth-a-simple-aquatic-beauty-with-a-complicated-back-story.
Water Hyacinth – a simple aquatic beauty with a complicated back-story.
Article in GETBengal GB 26 Nov 2022
8.Weed woes in Pune Times Mirror of March14 ,24and again on March 16, 24 the contamination of the waters of the river Indrayani leading to dead fish.
9.Kenya climate Innovation Center https://www.kenyacic.org/2017/04/producing-paper-from-hyacinth/
ttps://in.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?hspart=trp&hsimp=yhs-001&type=Y23_F163_212979_070121&p=paper+manufacturers+in+pune
10. https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/FileHandler2.ashx?f=sem5_33.pdf
12.https://in.video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-trp-001&ei=UTF-8&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=trp&p=PICTURE+OF+WATER+HYACTYNTH&type=Y23_F163_212979_070121#id=1&vid=f911f15200461ce18e08391dbf811ecc&action=view
13. BBC video use of WH as bio energy resource
14. BIO FUEL FROM WH IN LAKE VICTORIA. SCALING UP ISSUE.
ype=Y23_F163_212979_070121#id=19&vid=1f2189cd6e892f63f3ea6aba0763b794&action=view
15. FLORIDA UNABLE TO ERADICATE IT. BUT HAS LOTS OF USES.