Water hyacinth crisis and management

Why in News: Water hyacinth is choking Kerala’s Vembanad Lake, harming livelihoods and biodiversity, prompting calls for coordinated removal and sustainable use initiatives

Introduction

• Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is an invasive aquatic plant introduced in India during the colonial era as an ornamental species. 
• Its rapid, unchecked proliferation now poses a serious ecological and socio-economic threat to India’s inland water systems, especially in Kerala.

Scope of the Problem 

• Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) now infests over 2,00,000 hectares of inland waters across India, with Kerala’s backwaters and Vembanad Lake among the worst hit.
• In the Kuttanad paddy region, it clogs irrigation channels, raises farming costs, and disrupts fisheries.

Impact on Ecology, Livelihoods, and Community

A. Agriculture and Fisheries

• Blockage of Irrigation: Paddy fields, notably in Kerala’s ‘rice bowl’, face water flow blockages, raising irrigation costs and reducing crop yields.
• Fisheries Collapse: Dense hyacinth mats cause oxygen depletion, fish deaths, and make fishing navigation nearly impossible, resulting in significant monthly income losses for families dependent on these waters.

B. Biodiversity and Water Quality

• Ecosystem Suffocation: Hyacinth mats reduce sunlight and oxygen, leading to a collapse in aquatic flora and fauna and undermining the entire food web.
• Deteriorating Water Quality: The mats increase acidity, trap contaminants, and foster the spread of waterborne diseases and harmful bacteria such as E. coli.

C. Human and Economic Costs

• Tourism Hit: Iconic backwaters and wetlands face reduced tourism due to blocked waterways and loss of scenic value.
• Health and Infrastructure: Stagnant, hyacinth-infested waters breed mosquitoes, raising disease risks, and floating mats can damage bridges, fences, and boats during floods.
• Climate Impact: As hyacinth decays, it emits methane—a potent greenhouse gas—compounding global warming concerns.

Current Challenges

• Fragmented responsibility across multiple departments; no single-point accountability.
• Sporadic, short-term efforts with no region-specific long-term plan.
• Labour shortages in states like Kerala hinder manual removal.
• Low mechanisation and limited use of scientific removal methods.
• Weak policy and incentives; local innovations remain small-scale.
• Fast regrowth requiring continuous follow-up measures.

Responses and Experiments

A. Local and Innovative Initiatives

• Grassroots Solutions: Women’s self-help groups in Odisha, Assam, Kerala, and West Bengal have begun converting hyacinth into handicrafts, paper, compost, and biogas.
• Academic Engagement: Institutions like Jain University, Kochi under the Future Kerala Mission, are facilitating workshops and awareness campaigns to build solutions based on both scientific expertise and traditional knowledge.

B. Control Methods

• Mechanical Removal: Widely used but labor-intensive and costly; mats reappear within weeks, demanding constant effort.
• Chemical/Ecological Risks: Use of herbicides like glyphosate is controversial due to incomplete understanding of long-term ecological consequences and risks to water quality.
• Biological Control: Release of specific insects or fungi (e.g., weevils, moths) offers a promising, cost-effective, and eco-friendly long-term solution, but requires coordinated implementation.

Way Forward

• Single-point accountability with a national policy and region-specific plans.
• Scientific, mechanised removal drives suited to local conditions.
• Incentives & value chains for products like crafts, biofuels, compost, textiles.
• Public-private partnerships to scale innovations.
• Promote R&D and share outcomes with communities.
• Awareness campaigns combining scientific and local knowledge.

UPSC RELEVANCE

GS Paper III – Environment & Ecology, Conservation, Environmental Pollution, Disaster & Climate Change

• Invasive alien species and their ecological impact.

Mains Practice Question

Q1. Water hyacinth infestation in India’s inland waters is both an ecological threat and a livelihood challenge. Discuss the socio-economic and environmental impacts of this invasive species and suggest a coordinated strategy for its management.