Peña: Of Floods and Water Hyacinths

Thursday, June 30, 2011

THE incessant rains last June 25, Arbor Day, caused the cancellation of many scheduled tree-planting activities. Much of Pampanga was flooded, including the portion of Jose Abad Santos Avenue (Jasa) in the City of San Fernando in front of CLTV 36 and DWRW studios. For the first time in 12 years, I waded through knee-deep water just to get to the radio station.

I parked my vehicle on dry land several meters away from the radio station and walked barefoot on the slippery plant boxes in the middle of Jasa. I had to balance myself while walking with an umbrella on one hand and my radio script on the other. Rushing water caused by passing buses and big trucks almost pushed me off-balance. I realized I could be seriously hurt. But I needed to go on.

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Grabe! Huwag na sanang maulit ang bahang ito.

*****

Whenever there is flood, garbage is usually blamed. This time, another culprit is blamed for the choked waterways -- water hyacinths (Eichhornia Crassipes). This plant is said to be the most damaging aquatic plant worldwide. It originated in the Amazon Basin and was introduced into many parts of the world as an ornamental garden pond plant. (Source: http://practicalaction.org/practicalanswers/product_info.php?products_id...)

Water hyacinth can cause various problems: impede water flow like what happened in Cotabato City, hinder water transport, clog intakes of irrigation and water supply systems, serve as habitat for a variety of disease vectors and increase evapotranspiration (loss of water). Water hyacinths can also reduce biodiversity because other aquatic plants have difficulty surviving.

Water hyacinths can be controlled by biological, chemical and physical means. But while they cause problems, they also have beneficial uses. The plant has a fibrous tissue so it can be used for producing paper or woven into mats, ropes, baskets and bags. There is a company in the City of San Fernando that makes various products out of water hyacinths.

The aquatic plant also has a high energy and protein content so it can be used as animal fodder. Studies have shown that the nutrients in water hyacinth are available to ruminants.

In Southeast Asia, some non-ruminant animals are fed rations containing water hyacinth.

In China, pig farmers boil chopped water hyacinth with vegetable waste, rice bran, copra cake and salt to make a suitable feed.

In Malaysia, fresh water hyacinth is cooked with rice bran and fishmeal and mixed with copra meal as feed for pigs, ducks and pond fish.

Ironically, while water hyacinths cause problems in water, they can be used to purify water either for drinking or for liquid effluent from sewage systems. In a drinking water treatment plant, water hyacinths have been used as part of the pretreatment purification step.

So let’s turn these damaging aquatic plants into money.