Scientists and engineers at the Department of Science and Technology are in a race to diffuse tangles of water hyacinth clogging freshwater bodies in the country.
“We are looking at the water hyacinth problem in two ways: how to remove it and how to use it,” DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo said.
“We are validating the many potential uses of water hyacinth and see what are the most appropriate options at the municipal and industrial levels”, he added. “Do we use it for handicraft or as material for biogas or garments production?”
But the DOST’s immediate mission order from Malacañang is to help de-clog major river systems like the Rio Grande de Mindanao, which swamped villages along its banks and portions of Cotabato City because of massive swarms of water hyacinth.
This would require a far more efficient mechanical de-clogging system than backhoes sitting on barges. “We expect to test a DOST-developed water hyacinth harvester within July,” possibly in the Manggahan section of the Pasig River or in Pampanga, DOST Assistant Secretary Robert O. Dizon said.
Such a harvester will work similar to commercially available models used in other tropical countries in their battle against the aquatic menace. But the design will be adapted to local conditions and will be built using locally available components, he added.
“It will create another problem if the water hyacinth clumps taken out of the river are just left along the banks. The immediate option, we think, is to use it as landfill”, adds Executive Director Amelia P. Guevara of the DOST Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD).
“Our objective should not be to totally eradicate the water hyacinth, but to control its growth,” by cleaning up the rivers regularly, Guevara said. That’s because it helps preserve the ecosystem by purifying river water.
Moreover, PCIEERD is considering water hyacinth as potential material for biogas production to enhance integrated waste management systems at the municipal level.
Aside from handicraft, water hyacinths can be processed into animal and fish feeds, charcoal briquettes, fiber boards, textile fiber, and organic fertilizer, Guevara explained.
According to Cesario R. Pagdilao, PCAMRD Executive Director, the DOST previously provided technical support to the province of Sultan Kudarat, which utilized water hyacinth from Lake Buluan to spur province-wide cottage industries churning bags, slippers, and other quaint fashion items.
