Utilising water hyacinth
Photo: Munir uz Zaman / Driknews
We have plenty of water hyacinth, growing in almost all water bodies of Bangladesh, and almost all rivers, canals and low-lying areas under water are covered with innumerable green water hyacinth plants. It seems to grow very easily, and is not eaten by birds or animals. Some of the plant that comes to dry ground, or is thrown there, gets rotted and mixes into the soil, possibly acting as a fertiliser! All said and done, the plants are totally wasted, and not used in any manner. Given its abundance, our agricultural and food scientists should try to find some way, so that it can be used as food. If not as naturally grown, then they can find some easy and simple way to modify it, and make it palatable, like other vegetables, that can be either taken raw or cooked as a vegetable dish. If this can be made possible, then a cheap and readily available source of food can be established. This can be a popular food source for the poor. The government should take initiative to encourage and support necessary scientific food research in this direction, so that we can readily utilise the plentiful availability of water hyacinth plant as a ready source of nutrition in our daily diet!
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