Tanzania: No Water No Life Mara River Expedition, Mara River, Masarua Swamp, water hyacinth
Tanzania: No Water No Life Mara River Expedition, Kirumi, Mara River, Masurua Swamp, water hyacinth bloom
Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is one of the world’s worst aquatic weeds. It is characterized by rapid growth rate, extensive reproductive output and broad environmental resistance. It creates dense mats of vegetation that restrict oxygen in water, causing deterioration in water quality, fish mortality and declining biodiversity. A healthy acre of the plant can weigh 200 tons! These floating masses block waterways and harbors, costing millions of dollars of damage every year.
Water hyacinth grows in lakes, estuaries, wetlands, rivers, dams, and irrigation channels on every continent except Antarctica.
– Posted by Jasmine Graf, NWNL Associate Director
NO WATER NO LIFE BLOG 