Water Hyacinths: From harmful plant to useful paper!

DW (English)

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!

Transcript

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.

04:02Simoneuffy Lee

04:10letzten

04:13Debate

04:14printed

04:16olm

04:18ऑन

04:19μ

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