Context
A pilot project will deploy a robotic system to harvest water hyacinth from Vembanad Lake, Kerala, and explore converting the collected weed into value-added products.
Explanation
- Vembanad Lake, located in Kerala, is the longest lake in India and forms part of the Vembanad-Kol Wetland, a Ramsar Site.
- It is a brackish-water ecosystem connected to the Arabian Sea and is important for fisheries, agriculture, inland navigation and biodiversity.
- Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a free-floating freshwater aquatic plant native to South America and a major invasive alien species in India.
- It reproduces rapidly, forming dense mats that obstruct sunlight, oxygen exchange, waterways and fishing activities.
- Its decomposition can reduce dissolved oxygen, adversely affecting aquatic organisms and water quality.
- The pilot uses an unmanned surface vehicle equipped with a robotic mechanism to collect the weed.
- Collected biomass may be converted into value-added products, linking invasive-species management with a circular economy approach.
- The project is under the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA) of the MoEFCC.
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