Invasive water hyacinths are so damaging to water bodies that they’re banned in some countries. But the aquatic plant can be put to good use too!
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00:00This is the story of ecologist Sushmita Krishnan, who turns water hyacinths into biodegradable paper.
00:08It's a win-win, because although attractive, water hyacinths are extremely fast-growing and highly invasive.
00:15Originally introduced to India from South America, they quickly clogged lakes and wetlands, damaging existing ecosystems.
00:23A pond in the village of Allur in Tamil Nadu. Farmer Muthu used to rely on the water source to irrigate his fields.
00:32But now it's been completely overtaken by water hyacinths.
00:38Back when I was in school, this water was very clean. We used to catch fish here.
00:44This area was once farmland and people would bathe in the pond.
00:48But now the water is black and polluted.
00:53Water hyacinth infestations can cause oxygen depletion in water bodies, increase water loss and create breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
01:04Even when dead, water hyacinths release harmful substances that reduce water quality.
01:12The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified water hyacinths as the world's first aquatic invasive species.
01:20A single plant can produce 2,000 seeds.
01:23Under favourable conditions, up to 700 tons of water hyacinths can grow per hectare of land.
01:29If this continues unchecked, oxygen levels in the water body drop significantly, killing fish populations.
01:36This results in economic and ecological losses.
01:45The 24-year-old ecologist works with the National College in Tiruchilapalli in the south of Tamil Nadu to tackle this problem.
01:52First, we remove the water hyacinths from the water, then we chop, grind and extract pulp from it.
02:04After that, we add natural binders to the pulp.
02:10We use paper frames for this process.
02:13The frame is dipped in the pulp, transferred onto a cloth and left to dry.
02:22This process is quite simple.
02:25The paper is fully biodegradable and contains no chemicals.
02:29It's entirely plant-based.
02:36Sushpita says that 1 kg of water hyacinth can produce 35 A4 sheets of paper.
02:44Students at the National College learn how to do it step by step.
02:52Sushpita's technology can be shared with self-help groups.
02:56They can be taught how to collect water hyacinth even if they only have limited resources.
03:04They can also learn how to process it and turn it into different grades of material.
03:13Students can acquire this knowledge and then pass it on to villages or communities, helping them generate income.
03:22Sushpita's research has been partly funded by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development,
03:28and she's hoping to receive support from Indian authorities too.
03:33With government support, we could clean a lake and use the collected water hyacinths to produce our own products.
03:40Water bodies would be restored to their natural state as a result and become accessible again for public use.
03:46Sushpita hopes that all of India's water bodies will one day be healthy again.
03:55And with her idea, she helps to transform a harmful invasive species into a useful resource.
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