Community Managed Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) Control Project

Project Proposal

Community Managed Water Hyacinth

Control Pilot Project

Renew Lanka Guarantee Limited

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Community Managed Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) Control Project

i. Title of the project proposal

Community Managed Water Hyacinth Control Project

ii. Name of the collaborating agency

Pradeshiya Saba, Urban Development Authority, Private sector handmade paper produsers

iii. Introduction

Sri Lanka is an agricultural country with a population of 21 million people. Farmers and farming
communities rely on a multitude of reservoirs for water as the country knows prolonged dry
periods. There are some 4000 (over Large & Medium 10000) reservoirs in Sri Lanka ranging in
size from 4.Km2 to 4000 Km2, which have been constructed over the past 3000 years mainly for
irrigation. The rural communities in Sri Lanka depend on inland water for rice and vegetable
production, animal protein as well as fresh water supply. In recent years, moreover the country
has seen a rapid increase in the number of dams, reservoirs and canals resulting from
development of irrigation and hydroelectric projects. Recent observation and reports have
demonstrated that both natural and artificial water bodies in Sri Lanka have become infected with
the aquatic weeds.

In its native range water weeds is largely restricted to costal lowlands and along the margins of
lagoons and slow moving waters. It occur low densities, only becoming a problem where the
hydrological regime of a water body has been altered by human activities, or where the level of
nutrients in the water has been increased. They provide a habitat for vectors of several diseases,
increase the areas at risk as a result of flooding, and affect drinking water supply, inland fisheries
and rural transport. The mosquito populations have increased at an alarming rate during the last
five years and one of contributory factor is large mat of floating weed infestations.

Programms to control its growth have been initiated in most countries where it occurs. Chemical
and mechanical control measures have been used to combat water weeds, but are expensive and
ineffective on all but small infestation. Eradication of the weed has been rare because of its rapid
growth rate and its ability to re-infest from seeds or isolated plants. Increasing concern about the
financial and environmental costs associated with herbicidal control measures and their limited
effectiveness has led to growing interested in other method of control.

The area colonized by these weeds appears to have increased in the recent years and the
Government priority for community participation in environmental programme is one key
objective. Thus WH aquatic weeds have received very little attention in Sri Lanka.
Regular maintenance of reservoirs, lakes, rivers and irrigation networks, thus, becomes a crucial
factor for overall sustenance of irrigated agriculture and the livelihood of farming communities
associated with wetland habitats. Among the several factors that constraints the productivity of
inland water bodies in the country, the excessive growth of aquatic weeds, such as floating,
submerged and rooting emerged species. Some of these aquatic species are exotic species that
have been entered the country at different periods during the last century. Water hyacinth, one
of the worst aquatic weeds in the world, has been intentionally introduced for ornamental
purpose in 1904 and it is widely distributed in Sri Lanka despite its declaration as a prohibited
weed under Water Hyacinth Act in 1909 (Pl, refer to attachment.1) and subsequently under Plant
Protection Act in 1924. Water fern, Salvinia molesta, is also an exotic plant, brought into the

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country in 1939 for experimental purposes by the Colombo University around 1943. This floating
weed rapidly invaded over large extents of aquatic habitats in the Western province by 1954.
Incidentally, Salvinia was declared as a noxious weed under Plant Protection Act in 1952.
A recent conducted survey showed that 60% of the water bodies are infested with Salvinian
60.% with water hyacinth and over 80% with water lettuce (Pistiastratiotes). The results further
disclosed that of the local aquatic species, Lotus and Typha javanica also have developed into
epidemic proportions, occupying over 60 to 80 % of the water bodies in Colombo district.

iv. Problem Identification

PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND JUSTIFICATION

The project will carry out important immediate and long-term actions for the control of floating
weed water hyacinth, mainly focused on available control options, research issues, utilization of
the weed, watershed management and implementation strategies, all involving community
participation.

Steering committees within the district entrusted with responsibilities in environment, water
resources, agriculture, health, floating weeds research and control will empower the project.
Each of the existing national government bodies will provide guidance, monitoring and technical
support. The steering committees will be responsible for the overall control strategies Water
hyacinth and programmes. The project will also help develop mechanisms for replicating the
project in other districts of Sri Lanka.

The project will support a monitoring and evaluation activity to assess the project in the district.
The political and administrative authorities in the Province and District will be enlightened to
strengthen measures of prevention. The extension agents, the communicators, the trainers and
the subject matter specialists in control will also be targeted to improve the distribution of
information to the community about the dangers of these weeds.

The social, economic and environmental benefits associated include the following:
Social:
 Increased access to water points (domestic and livestock use),
 Improved aesthetics of water,
 Decrease in disease outbreaks (Dengue, malaria, filarial, cholera, etc.),
 Increase in income,
 Enhanced women empowerment;

Economic:
 Increased fish catches,
 Stable transportation costs,
 Enhanced tourism,
 Release of intakes for irrigation,
 water supply systems
 Use of material for handmade papers;

Environmental:

 Less water loss,

 Improved water quality,
 Reduce the potential for siltation

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Community Managed Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) Control Project

 flooding,
 Stability of biodiversity and aquatic life.

Considering the above benefits, no action would have greater impact on the effects of the WH
currently experienced in the infested rivers, canals, lakes and lagoons of the project area than
reasonably applied integrated control measures.

POLICY, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK

The policies and development strategies implemented by the project tend to:
(i) Empower local beneficiaries by giving them the voice and the means to set their own priorities
and manage their own development;
(ii) Promote project designs that are adaptable to the local environment and to be
implemented by the direct beneficiaries;
(iii) Increase field presence and decentralized management.
The EAG laid out the requirements and responsibilities related to environmental assessment at
the various stages in the project cycle, while the project to reflect the more integrated
environmental and social approach addressing crosscutting issues to promote cooperation and
integration, To raise the living standard of its peoples, and to maintain and enhance economic
stability, foster relations among community member.

The Provincial and District governmental services providers to support the various income
generation projects, which are governed by departmental levels in the district.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT ENVIRONMENT

The income of the communities dependent on revenue from fisheries, crops and livestock
activities. To promote the economic integration in the villages through mutual cooperation.

The freshwater availability is strongly related to precipitation, and fluctuations in the seasonal
and annual water volumes of rivers and lakes. The direct project beneficiaries are all the
stakeholders whose principal activities are directly linked to water resources especially the fishing
communities who live and subsist around these water bodies. In addition, the beneficiaries will
also include farmers of irrigated schemes, whose activities are affected by the infestation of the
irrigation canals. Fish is one of the chief sources of animal protein in, and in many communities,
fish plays a more important role in the diet than meat. Fishing provides a very important
employment opportunity in both the coastal and inland areas.

PROJECT ALTERNATIVES
“No Action” Alternative
Losses caused by WH are experienced in several key sectors of the economies:
Irrigated agriculture (infestation of channels), fishery (reduction of catch and increased costs),
health (vector-disease treatment) and drinking water, transport and in tourism. The indirect and
social costs are of equal importance. Households lose time and money in the pursuance of their
daily activities; they sometimes have to migrate or children cannot attend school. With no action,
these losses will continue and tend to be irreversible.

1. Chemical Control
2. Biological Control
3. Integrated Biological and Manual Control
4. Physical Mechanical Control
5 Physical Manual Control (recommended)

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v. Location

Water cannal (closer to Licyam School) in Wathala Prdeshiya Sabha area

vi. Proposed area in ha.

03 ha

vii. Project objectives

Enhancement of Environmental, Social and Economic impact of households bordering to Wattala

Channal by community participation on echo friendly control of Water Hyacinth.

Environmental Impacts
 Impact on Water Availability, Siltation and Flooding
The loss of surface water through evaporation & transpiration (evapotranspiration) and the
potential for siltation and flooding will decrease gradually as the weed population decreases,
resulting in positive, cumulative and permanent impact.

 Impact on Water Quality

Impact is negative on short-term, and positive on long-term.

 Impact on Biodiversity and Aquatic life

Some of the aquatic plants that had been displaced by the WH will gradually reappear. Diversity
of fish stocks may not fully return to pre-infestation level, but overall population fish will increase.
Impact is positive, cumulative and permanent on plant biodiversity and fish population.

Social Impacts
 Impact on Access to Water points:
The water points become accessible to local communities whose livelihoods are dependent on
water. WH in their bloom obstructs boat access to fishing grounds, leading to diminished fishing
productivity. Control of the weeds will clear the waterways and enhance business and community
life of these women and their families. The water points also become accessible to washing and
other uses by the people.
 Impact on Diseases:
The disease vectors responsible for major public health problems such as Dengue, malaria and
filaria will have inadequate microhabitat as the WH disappear. The risk of the diseases is
therefore reduced in the long-term.
 Impact on Women Empowerment:
The women can be encouraged in the manual control, and thus become empowered. As the
control takes full effect, the women become more empowered through trading and other
activities.

Economic Impacts
 Impact on Fishing and Transportation
Fishing potential will increase as the water body is cleared. The weeds will no longer impair
fishing equipment. Transportation along the waterways will improve, and the conditions become
more favorable for fish to live and spawn eggs.
 Impact on Intakes for Irrigation and Water Supply systems
As the water is freed of the weeds, clogging of the intakes will decrease, and the irrigation, and
water supply systems will increase in efficiency and safety.
 Impact on Tourism
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Waterways will become more navigable, aquatic weeds-associated diseases will be alleviated and
aesthetics finally improved. Tourism will be enhanced as the integrated control takes full effect
Impact will be positive and permanent.
 Impact on Government Budgeting
The permanent nature of the integrated control alleviates strain on government budgeting for the
economic and social issues related to the waterways. Impact will be positive.
 Impact on Uses of Aquatic weeds
 Integrated control allows the use of WH during the physical control, thereby increasing economic
capability, temporarily. Communities to supply to hand made paper producers and to make
baskets, mats and other household crafts.

Mitigation/Enhancement Measures

Enhancement of Positive Impacts

 The positive impact of the control on water quality, biodiversity and aquatic life will be enhanced
by Primary and secondary treatment of effluent waste prior to discharge into weed infested
water.
 Governmental and corporate bodies responsible for waste generation should carry out waste
treatment.
 National and/or local government laws on effluent waste management and disposal should be
enacted and enforced.
 The local communities should be educated on the need to avoid indiscriminate nutrient inputs
into the water.
 Harvested weeds should be removed away from the bank of the water. Also, fresh or distressed
weeds stranded on the banks or in the mud of shallow waters should be removed immediately to
prevent regeneration of the weed when water level rises.
 The water should be monitored for pollution by the government institutions charged with such
responsibility. The national executing agency for the integrated control must be involved in the
pollution monitoring. Adequate water treatment actions should follow incidence of pollution.
 Local leadership, especially the traditional leaders, opinion leaders, heads of women associations
and religious leaders should be consulted and involved at the beginning of every local effort.
 water re-acquires potential for increased fishing, fishermen and women should be educated on
the need to avoid over-fishing, especially in the early years of the successful control of the
weeds. This would allow the fish population and stock to attain optimum levels. Associations of
fishermen should be strengthened for enforcement of sustainable fishing activities.
 The pollution monitoring described above is to be complemented with good housekeeping
practices by local communities to ensure that the positive impact on tourism is enhanced.
 Local communities should be trained in the practical uses of harvested WH, for hand made
papers, rope, baskets and mats.

Mitigation of Negative Impacts

The local communities should be supplied with safety equipment and materials, particularly when
involved in manual control and monitoring of integrated control. The safety practice will prevent
the hazards of manual tools and the disease vectors associated with the weeds. Adequate first-
aid equipment and materials
viii. Project participations

 Renew Lanka Guarantee Ltd for the technical interventions & community mobilization of 30
selected households
 Community for operation & maintenance of the biogas unit

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 Wattala Pradeshiya Sabha for monitor transportation of water hyacinth bio gas unit and hand
paper making factory at Jaela.

xi. Project Period

This pilot project is implemented 12 months and community based organization with
collaboration with private paper making factory and local government institution will continue
with action plan after the project phase out.

xi. Budget:
Total estimated budget is Rs. 5.2 million

Item Number Unit cost in Amount in

Description Unit
No of Units LKR LKR

1 Administration cost including salaries, Months 7 150,000.00 1,050,000.00

allowances and transportations

2 Communality mobilization & awareness Programmes 5 45,000.00 225,000.00

campaign

3 Training on Bio Gas production for Programmes 3 70,000.00 210,000.00

selected group of community

4 Training in WH plant material processing Programmes 4 70,000.00 280,000.00

for paper making
Training on manual removal of WH
5 Programmes 3 60,000.00 180,000.00
plants and waste water management
6 Construction of Bio Gas Unit Item 1 1,300,000.00 1,300,000.00

Training on marketing and value added

7 Programmes 2 750,000.00 1,500,000.00
products made out of WH plant materials
including hand made papers.
8 Monitoring Evaluation cost Months 12 22,000.00 264,000.00

Project Phase out Trainings to

9 community, Prdeshiya saba and Private Programmes 3 70,000.00 210,000.00
sector involved partners
Total Cost 5,219,000.00

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