Have you ever seen a sheet of water hyacinth cover the river or lake in your area? These floating plants have leaves that extend like a green carpet, slowly moving with the water below and the wind above. But if these plants are blocking the way, how do the boats go places where they wish to be?
"We are always hopeful that the boats arrive before the hyacinths cover the area. By then, it will become more challenging for the fishermen to bring to dryland the fish they caught," said Elizabeth Keita, a fish vendor from the village of Dunga.
Water Hyacinth with the scientific name Eichhornia crassipes is an aquatic plant that is native to the waters of South America. They were first spotted in Africa in the 1900s. Scientists have coined the term "world's worst aquatic weed", after it has spread and started clogging the dams and rivers in the early 1900s.
In the case of people in East Africa, the water invaders arrived along with the Belgian colonists that took over Rwanda. The colonists particularly loved the glossy look of its leaves and its delicate purple flowers while it floats in their garden ponds. By 1980s, the water hyacinths have escaped Rwanda and found themselves a new home in Kagera River and slowly made its way downstream until it reached Lake Victoria.
With the temperate water conditions and the absence of natural predators, water hyacinths begann gobbling up all the space, providing a new habitat for disease carrying mosquitoes. Their sheer number also caused a choke in the fishing routes making livelihood even more challenging. Sadly, the same beautiful water hyacinths caused dwindling income for the women because they struggled to get the freshest catch from the fishermen.
In Kenya, three out of four families depend on charcoal or wood to cook their food. This rate becomes higher in rural communities. The latest health and demographic survey of Kenya shows.
While piles of these water hyacinths often lie outside of the houses left to rot, little do people know that buried it what seems like a decaying pile of wax is a goldmine waiting to be discovered. Its foliage contains a high ratio of carbon to nitrogen. It's a combination that scientists are so surprised to see that it has captivated the minds of the researchers. They began to explore the possibility of transforming such number to produce biofuel;
In truth, 4 kilos of dried water hyacinths is enough to power a household of four to five. It can provide for the daily energy needs of a family, as early researchers predict. While this may be an unexpected benefit from such invasive plants, Keita changed her perspective of this plant. "The hyacinth has now become such a useful resource," she said.
