Webinar on the Management of Invasive Aquatic Species — Water Hyacinth in Drains and Water Bodies

Government of India

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Government of India

Webinar on the Management of Invasive Aquatic Species — Water Hyacinth in Drains and Water Bodies

25th September, 2025

About the Event

The RCA Secretariat hosted a 50-minute deep dive into the problem of Water Hyacinths in water bodies. The session drew 33 participants from across the country, and we were especially encouraged by the participation from the RCA cities of Srinagar and Muzaffarpur. The session was led by Prof. G. Nagendra Prabhu (retd. HoD, Zoology, Sanatana Dharma College, University of Kerala; Scientific Advisor, Future Kerala Mission, Jain University).

Here are the top 5 learnings from the discussion:

1. Awareness and Policy Gaps: There is limited public awareness and no clear national or state-level policy to guide water hyacinth management, control, or utilisation.

2. Coordinated Approaches: There is a need for both top-down initiatives, such as a proposed National Mission on Water Hyacinth Management, and bottom-up local innovations to tackle the issue.

3. Management Through Utilisation: The discussion highlighted sustainable and community-based methods to convert aquatic weeds into valuable resources through eco-friendly technologies.

4. Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Examples from India and abroad showed student start-ups and NGOs successfully transforming aquatic weeds into marketable products, supporting livelihoods and the circular economy.

5. Collaborative Learning: The webinar reinforced the importance of shared knowledge and coordination among RCA cities in addressing common urban water challenges, perhaps starting with a dynamic public digital repository of available data on water-hyacinth and similar aquatic weeds. This session reinforced the value of targeted, knowledge-rich exchanges within the RCA network.