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Let's say Yes to water, No to weed on Tamraparni
Project Hyacinth is a people's movement in our village to save the river from unwanted greenery. Our motto is: mAnava sEvA mAdhava sEva--makkaL sEvai mahEsan sEvai.
There are two types of weeds on the river now--Ipomoea Carnea, called vElikAthAn in Tamil, which stretches across all banks and blocks the flow of the river. The common name for this weed in English is Morning Glory.
The other weed is the water-hungry Eichornea crassipes, called AkAsa thAmarai in Tamil, and Water hyacinth in English. This is a floating weed, seemingly harmless but a threat to any water body as it requires plenty of water and nutrients to thrive, and multiplies at alarming rates.
Project Hyacinth takes up de-weeding the river and the banks of our village--a stretch of 3 kms--as a pilot. The project involves:
Surveying the area to measure the length to be covered--done
Estimating the expenses involved in clearing both water hyacinth and morning glory--done, PWD estimates a total cost of Rs. 3 lakhs for the 3 km stretch
Raising 25% funds from community--done
Depositing with Government and applying for 75% funding under Namakku Naame scheme--done
Executing the project with Government supervision. Project completed successfully end May-first week June 2006. Project completed.
Finance
A meeting of Kodak-ites in Chennai was held on 18 Jan 2003 which was fairly well-attended. The presentation made at this meeting can be viewed here (please execute the file from this location as it links to other files as well and hence may not run if they are not downloaded also).
Project Hyacinth
Tamraparni in pics
Funds were raised in a record time of 15 days for this project.
To maintain transparency, this site displays all contributions received Click here, to see who has contributed towards this project.
Read on for more info on the river, and the threat:
The TAmraparni
The Tamiraparani is a symbol of Tamil culture and civilization and an identity of the far south of India. In Tamil and Sanskrit literature of earlier times, the Pandyas were referred to as the rulers of the land where the Tamaraparani flowed. Tamiraparani is the chief river of the district which has a large network of tributaries which includes the Peyar, Ullar, Karaiyar, Servalar, Pampar, Manimuthar, Varahanathi, Ramanathi, Jambunathi, Gadananathi, Kallar, Karunaiyar, Pachaiyar, Chittar, Gundar,Aintharuviar, Hanumanathi, Karuppanathi and Aluthakanniar. The two rivers of the district which are not linked with Tamiraparani are the Nambiar and the Hanumanathi of Nanguneri taluk. (There are two Hanumanathis in the district).
Nomenclature
Spelt differently as Tampraparani, Tamraparni, Tamiravaruni, etc., the river is mentioned as the Porunai nathi in Tamil poetic literature. It gets recognition and is referred to as the renowned one in Sanskrit literature references to which are as old as that of the Puranas and Epics.
Origin
The Tamiraparani originates from the peak of the Periya Pothigai hills of the Western Ghats above Papanasam in the Ambasamudram taluk. The great river like the Cauvery, but unlike most of the other Indian rivers, is fed by both the monsoons - the south west and the north-eastern and is seen in full spate twice a year if the monsoons do not fail.
The Tirunelveli Sthalapurana associates the origin of the river with sage Agasthiyar. It states that when Agasthiyar was requested by Lord Siva to move to the South, Parvathi Devi, the divine consort of Siva filled the sage's font meant to hold water for poojas (kamandala) with the water from the Ganges and on his arrival at Pothigai, he released it and the water ran as Tamiraparani.
Prior to the bifurcation of the Tirunelveli district, the Tamiraparani was the only major river in Tamilnadu which had its source and end in the same district. After bifurcation, the river traverses the two districts of Tirunelveli and Tuticorin before joining the Gulf of Mannar of the Bay of Bengal at Punnaikayal in Tiruchendur taluk of Thoothukkudi district.
Course and Tributaries
From the source to sea, the total length of the river is about 125 km., of which its course in Tirunelveli district alone is about 75 km. Originating at an altitude of 1725 m. above MSL at Periya Pothigai hill ranges and integral hill track of Western Ghats in Ambasamudram taluk, it passes through the taluks of Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai of Tirunelveli district and Srivaikundam and Tiruchendur taluks of Thoothukkudi district. In the Ghats, the chief tributaries of the river are the Peyar, Ullar, Karaiyar, Servalar and the Pambar. These rivers join the Tamiraparani and enrich its course before it reaches the plains. The first tributary which enriches the water of the Tamiraparani in the plains on the right side is the Manimuthar. Then comes the Gadananathi, which joins the Tamiraparani at Tiruppudaimaruthur. Before the Gadananathi's entry into the Tamiraparani, the Gadananadhi is joined by the rivers Kallar, Karunaiyar and Veeranathi or Varahanathi which joins the river Gadananathi about 1.5 km north-east of Kila Ambur. The river Pachaiyar is another tributary which joins the Tamiraparani near Tharuvai village in Palayamkottai Taluk. One of the important and affluent tributaries of the Tamiraparani is the Chithar or Chitranathi which arises in the Courtalam hills and receives supply from the rivers Gundar, Hanumanathi and Karuppanathi. The Chithar empities itself into the Tamiraparani in Sivalapperi Village.
The river drains with its tributaries an area of about 4400 sq. km. As most of its extensive catchments areas lay in the Western ghats, the river enjoys the full benefit of both the monsoons which make the river perennial. Since all its tributaries are arising from the Western ghats, the river is prone to heavy floods especially during the North East monsoon.
Tamirabarani River System
The important Irrigation Channels branching off from both the banks of the river Tamiraparani are, South Kodaimelalagian channel, North Kodaimelalagian channel (Kodaimelalagian anaicut), Nathiyunni channel (Nathiyunni anaicut), Kannadian channel (Kannadian anaicut), Kodagan channel (Ariyanayagipuram anaicut), Palayam (Palavur anaicut) channel, Tirunelveli channel (Suthamalli anaicut), Marudur Melakkal, Marudur Keelakkal (Marudur anaicut), South Main Channel and North Main Channel (Srivaikundam anaicut). Of these the first seven anaicuts were constructed during the period of ancient and medieval rulers and the last anaicut namely the Srivaikundam anaicut was constructed and completed by the British in 1869.
The Threat to the river
The river Tamraparni is now under stress and attack from weeds. The FAO report on weeds in water bodies, and the consequent impact on Ecosystem says:
Gradual appearance of the aquatic weed from submerged to emergent variety normally shows highly distressed condition of the ecosystem. Because of such weeds, increasing amount of silt is trapped, adversely affecting the total volume of the ecosystem and its carrying capacity. The most noxious weed like water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) starts flourishing. In India 60-70% of inland water is presently infested with aquatic weed predominantly by water hyacinth.
Considering the capacity of growth and regeneration of water hyacinth, loss of water from the ecosystem is enormous. It registers 5% gain in weight every day. Two parent plants produce about 30 offspring in 23 days resulting in 12000 plants, with a total weight of 470 tons in 4 months (Barrett 1989). At least 80% of the plant body constitutes water i.e., 376 tons of water is contained in 470 tons of water hyacinth. Added to this, loss through transpiration is also considerable and many folds than normal evaporation from the aquatic ecosystem.
Although India is not among the 26 countries of the world which have been declared water stressed, it cannot afford to loose such an amount of freshwater from the ecosystem. In fact, it faces the challenges of water scarcity, the per capita availability of water in the country is 1/3 compared to two decades ago. Also in many places the water table has gone down from 8 meters to 48 meters now.
The Water Hyacinth
Out of its enemies' reach, water-hyacinth has become the worst floating aquatic weed in many tropical and subtropical parts of the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Africa. In Africa it infests every major river and nearly every major freshwater lake. In the United States, it flourishes in hundreds of bodies of water in Hawaii and California and throughout the South from Texas to the Carolinas.
At worst, this plant may be a killer. In the Sepik area of Papua New Guinea, it has been blamed for making people starve. According to Australian scientists K.L.S. Harley, M.H. Julien, and A.D. Wright, people "could not access subsistence gardens, hunting areas, catch fish, or travel to market to sell and buy produce" because of dense water-hyacinth mats.
More typically, water-hyacinth damages water quality by blocking sunlight and oxygen and slowing the water's flow. Capable of doubling within a couple of weeks, it can grow faster than any other plant. By choking out other vegetation, it makes an area unusable by plants and animals that live in or depend on the water. Fish spawning areas may vanish.
In the Florida Everglades of the United States, the snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) is endangered partly because this bird can't find apple snails�"its favorite food�"where the weed has smothered the snail's favored food plants. In some parts of the world, the mats form habitat for disease-carrying mosquitoes as well as snail species that are intermediate hosts for schistosomiasis, among the world's worst parasitic diseases.
Uncontrolled, water-hyacinth robs water from potential drinking and irrigation supplies. The mats can block boat travel. Chunks of mat can break free to clog downstream pump stations supplying water for drinking, irrigation, and hydropower.
Botany
Water hyacinth is an attractive monocot, perennial, freshwater plant. Its mesmerizing blue, to white flowers and shiny green leaves make it a highly prized ornamental plant. However, its empirical beauty is deceptive. Wherever it has been introduced, particularly in tropical climates, the plant spreads so rapidly that it is now regarded as the world's worst aquatic weed.
Identification
Water hyacinth is the only large aquatic herb that can float on the water unattached to the bottom. The glossy light-green, circular leaves are up to 20 cm long and
5-15 cm wide and are attached to petioles that are often spongy-inflated (Scott 1979). The stems have trapped air and act as an air bladder providing the water hyacinth's buoyancy. Numerous dark, branched, fibrous roots dangle in the water from the underside of the plant. The inflorescence is a loose terminal spike with showy light-blue to violet flowers (flowers occasionally white). Each flower has 6 bluish-purple petals joined at the base to form a short tube. One petal bears a yellow spot. The fruit is a three- celled capsule containing many minute, ribbed seeds (Briji 1987).
Background
Water hyacinth originated in tropical South America, but has become naturalized in many warm areas of the world. Water hyacinth was introduced to North America in 1884 via the Cotton States Exposition in Louisiana. The plant was displayed in ornamental ponds and distributed as souvenirs to visitors, with the excess dumped into nearby creeks and lakes (Bock 1968).
Habitat and Distribution
Water hyacinth grows in shallow temporary ponds, wetlands and marshes, sluggish flowing waters and large lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. Plants can tolerate extremes of water level fluctuation and seasonal variations in flow velocity, and extremes of nutrient availability, pH, temperature and toxic substances (Briji 1987).
Biology and Ecology
During mat development, plants allocate most production to root biomass with little increase in average plant size. As plants mature, they increase in average biomass and production of daughter plants with reduced allocation to roots. At peak density, daughter-plant production is reduced but average plant size continues to increase, resulting in plant mortality (Madsen 1993). Young plants in low-density mats form a great deal of float tissue. In higher density mats, the proportion of float tissue decreases as surrounding plants support each other (Sculthorpe 1985).
Sexual reproduction is very limited, though seeds and seedling. Seeds can survive on waterway banks and on the hyacinth mats. The number of fruits per inflorescence varies greatly from 4 to 16 fruits per inflorescence. The number of seeds per fruit is also highly variable, ranging from 3 to over 450 (Gopal 1987). Seeds can remain viable up to twenty years.
Ecological and Environmental Impacts
Water hyacinth forms large, free-floating, monospecific mats that compete with other aquatic species for light, nutrients, and oxygen. Mats reduce dissolved oxygen levels and light and significantly alter invertebrate and vertebrate communities. As biomass from mats decomposes, organic input to sediments increases dramatically. Fish spawning areas may be reduced and critical waterfowl habitat may be degraded (Gopal 1987).
Economic and Human Impacts Options
Water hyacinth causes major detrimental impacts on water use. In drainage canals, it greatly reduces flow, which can result in flooding and damage to canal banks and structures. In irrigation canals it impedes flow and clogs intakes of pumps used for conveying irrigation water. Water flow patterns have been disrupted in utility cooling reservoirs. Water hyacinth can severely interfere with navigation of both recreational and commercial craft. In addition to interfering with boating by fisherman and water-skiers in recreational waters, Water hyacinth interferes with swimming, displaces native vegetation communities, and can adversely impact sport-fish populations. Limitations on water use can reduce real estate values and tourism. As water hyacinth mats decompose, sedimentation increases and dissolved oxygen levels are reduced.
Management Options
Prevention
With increasing popularity of water gardening and home ponds, water hyacinth is now sold by many western nurseries for its unusual appearance, attractive flowers, and ability to remove nutrients from the water. However, it is note worthy to emphasize the point that this nutrient cleansing is only on a small scale (e.g. pond).
The water hyacinth continues to spread in the same manner that it was introduced to North America. The only difference is now that it is being marketed by nurseries thus making the prevention of the water hyacinth difficult.
The best solution lays in public awareness. Different publics need to be informed and hopefully legislation can be put in place to stop the marketing of the water hyacinth.
The 3 main management mechanisms used are used in controlling Water Hyacinth are chemical, physical and biological.
Chemical control is the least favored due the long-term effects on the environment and the communities with which it comes into contact.
Physical control, using mechanical mowers, or manual extraction methods, is used widely but is costly and cannot deal with very large infestations, and is generally regarded as a short-term solution.
Biological control is the most widely favored long-term control method, being relatively easy to use, and arguably providing the only economic and sustainable control.
Chemical
The application of herbicides for controlling Water Hyacinth has been carried out for many years. The common herbicides are 2,4-D, diquat and glysophate. It has been found that there is a good success rate when dealing with small infestations but less success with larger areas. The low success rate is due to the large biomass that is produced by the plant that disables the chemical to penetrate the mat. Furthermore, although allowed by the USDA these chemicals are toxic to fish, particularly trout and other salmonids, and to some mammals, and aquatic invertebrates (Matthew 1967).
Physical
Manual removal of water hyacinth is suitable only for extremely small areas. It is difficult, labor intensive work and in some areas there is serious health risks associated with the work crocodiles, hippopotamus and bilharzia especially in Africa (Hitchcock 1949).
Mechanical removal of water hyacinth is seen as the best short-term solution to the proliferation of the plant. It is however costly, using either land-based ,clamshell, bucket cranes, draglines or booms or, alternatively, water based machinery such as mowers, dredges, and barges or specially designed aquatic weed harvesters. Such methods are suitable for only relatively small areas. Many of these techniques require the support of a fleet of water and land-based vehicles for transporting the large quantities of water hyacinth which is removed. Mats of water hyacinth can be enormous and can have a density of up to 200 tones per acre (Sculthope).
Biological
Biological control has been found to be the most proficient form of controlling water hyacinth. This is the use of host specific natural enemies to reduce the population density of a pest. Three insects have been introduced in an attempt to control water hyacinth. The weevil's N. eichhorniae and N. bruchi, are natives of Argentina and surrounding areas in South America. The pyralid moth, Sameodes albiguttalis N. eichhorniae has proven to be the most important control agent.Biological control of water hyacinth is environmentally suitable controlling agent since it tends to be self-regulating. One major drawback is that it can take a long time to initiate such projects because it can take several years for the insect population to reach a population density sufficient to tackle the pest problem.
However, biological control success rate has a good track record were the weevils have been introduced (Lake Victoria, Rwanda, kariba Africa).
Morning Glory - vElikAthAn
Family: Convolvulaceae
Genus: Ipomoea (ip-oh-MEE-uh) (Info)
Species: carnea (KAR-nee-uh) (Info)
Synonym:Ipomoea fistulosa
Synonym:Ipomoea carnea ssp. fistulosa
Category:
Shrubs
Tropicals/Tender Perennials
Height:
6-8 ft. (1.8-2.4 m)
8-10 ft. (2.4-3 m)
10-12 ft. (3-3.6 m)
Sun Exposure:
Full Sun
Sun to Partial Shade
Danger:
Seed is poisonous if ingested
Bloom Color:
Pink
Violet/Lavender
White
Bloom Time:
Blooms all year
Blooms repeatedly
Foliage:
Herbaceous
Smooth-Textured
Other details:
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds
Drought-tolerant; suitable for xeriscaping
Dangers
A new type of disease in goats from a village in Mozambique is described. Affected animals staggered and had head tremors and eventually died. Due to a lack of suitable feed, the animals consumed a hedge plant introduced to the village from abroad and commonly known as "Shrubby Morning Glory". The condition was reproduced by feeding this plant to goats. Changes in the brain, spinal cord and kidney were found to be produced in animals eating the plant which explain the nervousness typical of signs of poisoning. Chemical analysis of plant material showed the presence of three natural compounds, one of which is identical to that causing poisoning by locoweeds while the other two occur in poisonous bindweeds. The biological properties of all of these compounds are similar, altering the way in which sugars are utilized in the basic functioning of living cells and thus producing the poisoning.
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