Water hyacinth is a floating plant with thick, glossy, round leaves, inflated leaf stems, and very showy lavender flowers. It is sometimes stuck in mud, appearing rooted, and it is rarely found as a single plant. It is found globally in the tropics and subtropics but its spread is limited by severe cold.
Water hyacinth makes waterways clog, making boating, fishing and almost all other water activities impossible. Water flow through water hyacinth mats is greatly diminished. Water hyacinth degrades water quality by blocking photosynthesis, which greatly reduces oxygen levels in the water. This creates a cascading effect by reducing other underwater life such as fish and other plants. Water hyacinth also reduces biological diversity. In Florida, millions of dollars a year is used to spend on water hyacinth control.
Despite these serious drawbacks, water hyacinth invasions can be harnessed for environmental benefit and renewable energy production. Water hyacinths have high cellulose content, making them a potential renewable energy source. We can also utilize the plants as craft materials such as bags, mats, accessories, table cloth and so on.
As a result, waste that was very harmful can be finally profitable. Water hyacinth can cure throat-feels-hot, urticaria and ulcers. Nowadays, it can be brought to use as organic fertilizer. Water hyacinth can absorb metals like copper and lead from industrial sewage and living place sewage. It also can absorb mercury and lead melt in the liquid.
Where water hyacinth is found in abundance, it is not itself the problem, which is to be eradicated at all costs. Rather, it is a clear sign that something else is out of balance. Often it is a sure sign that the water contains too many nutrients, which may come from soil erosion, from agricultural chemicals or from domestic or industrial pollution.
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