Context:
Women from flood-prone Borchila in Assam are transforming water hyacinth into eco-friendly products.
Water Hyacinth:
- Non-native aquatic invasive plant that has become widespread in India.
- Introduced during the British colonial rule as an ornamental plant from South America.
- Produces beautiful purple flowers with high aesthetic value.
- Issues –
- Invasive Nature – It is an obnoxious weed that suffocates freshwater sources like rivers, streams, ponds, dams, lakes, and bogs.
- Impact on Waterbodies – Makes waterbodies unsuitable for commercial fishery, transportation, and recreation by choking them at an astonishing rate.
- Environmental Damage – The plant cuts off sunlight and reduces oxygen levels in the water
- Significance –
- Bio-fertiliser – It has been used as a bio-fertiliser in some organic agriculture practices.
- Phytoremediation – Water hyacinth is effective in phytoremediation, capable of trapping and removing toxic metabolites and harmful heavy metals from water.
Invasive alien species:
- Non-native organisms that can inflict damage on the ecosystem, economy, or human health when introduced into a new environment.
- Not all non-native species are invasive.
- To be classified as invasive, a species must –
- easily adapt to the new area
- reproduce rapidly
- lack competition and predation pressure
- harm property, the economy, or the native plants and animals of the region.
- Examples from India – Lantana (Lantana Camara), Water Hyacinth, Prosopis Juliflora, Touch-Me-Not Plant etc.
Read more about Invasive Alien Species
Source: PIB
Previous Year Question
Why is a plant called Prosopis juliflora often mentioned in the news?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2018 Prelims]
(a) Its extract is widely used in cosmetics.
(b) It tends to reduce the biodiversity in the area in which it grows.
(c) Its extract is used in the synthesis of pesticides.
(d) None of the above
Answer: (b)
