UGANDA CLAYS OR KAJJANSI FISHERIES SHOULD FIGHT THE WATER HYACINTH IN THE AREA

Uganda Clays removed clay and left places currently covered by water bodies with vegetable. The vegetable I am concerned with is the Water Hyacinth which has multiplied so much and is now flowing to other water bodies including to Lake Victoria. It is not so long since Uganda had a costly problem with the water weed. How can we leave this problem to become bigger when no body is concerned about destroying the water weed. It is said that most of the land having the water weed was used by Uganda Clays only for the Fisheries to find that Uganda Clays had trespassed on their land. Now the question, who is responsible? There is need to see the problem rectified because the water hyacinth is a lot. Secondly, these water bodies must be properly managed. Dead bodies can be thrown into them. Last term a student of New High-Tech Kajjansi School died after drowning into the water bodies left after the removal of clay.

The water weed on its way which will lead it to Lake Victoria.

Even in the photo the water weed is on its way to Lake Victoria.

The Fisheries is responsible to see the water weed cleared if the land belongs to them.

The water weed in the vegetation.

The water weed in the vegetation along the road to Kiwamirembe.

The water weed can clearly be seen in he picture.

The water weed.

The sign post is found as you branch off the Fisheries road to the new route to Kiwamirembe

The sign post of Uganda Clays who are responsible for some of the water bodies that are manufacturing the water weed. William Kituuka Kiwanuka WATER HYACINTH What is this Action Sheet about? It’s about water hyacinth, the world’s worst waterweed that is now clogging up waterways throughout Africa. There is no simple answer to the problem of water hyacinth, but it is clear that everybody needs to work together to find a solution that will benefit the world. This Action Sheet talks about the water hyacinth problem, and suggests ways in which you might be able to help. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? Water hyacinth grows fast from seeds and from shoots that break off and grow into new plants. The number of plants doubles every 5 to 15 days, so in a single season, 25 plants can multiply up to 2 million! This means that if water hyacinth gets into a new river or lake, it grows and grows until it covers the water with a thick floating mat of tangled weed. This causes terrible problems for people using the waterway: The plants use up precious water. Water is lost over 3 times faster than from clear water surface because of evapo-transpiration from the leaves. The quality of water is also reduced Rivers are clogged up. When the rains come, floods occur because water cannot drain from the area People can’t travel by boat, because the water hyacinth blocks their way. It takes 30 minutes to travel 100m on a really clogged up section of Lake Victoria in Uganda Fish and other river creatures die because of lack of oxygen. People can no longer go fishing, and may suffer malnutrition as a result Mosquitoes and other disease-carrying organisms breed in the water hyacinth, making diseases like malaria, schistomiasis and cholera more common Dangerous animals like snakes and crocodile also hide amongst the weeds Cows get stuck in the water and drown Tourists no longer visit the infested area WHERE DID IT COME FROM? Water hyacinth originally comes from South America. In the last two centuries, water hyacinth has spread throughout the tropics. People like the purple bloom to decorate their gardens, so they bring it with them when they move around the world. Water hyacinth is one of the worst examples of the trouble that can be caused by introducing species from other continents. In their natural environment plants are kept in check by natural enemies. Often when taken to new environments these natural enemies are missing and so the plants can grow wildly. They take over and become a problem to the indigenous plants of that land. WHAT CAN BE DONE TO STOP THIS PROBLEM PLANT? Efforts are underway all over Africa to remove water hyacinth from waterways, by hand, by machine, using chemical pesticides and biological control. Biological control involves introducing weevils, the natural enemy of water hyacinth, from South America. Each method of control has advantages and disadvantages, but combined they offer hope of a solution. Source: http://www.paceproject.net/UserFiles/File/Water/Water%20hyacinth.pdf