How this invasive flower is taking over the Nile
Egypt is considering several less-than-appealing options to combat the Nile’s invasive plant problem.
CAIRO — The water hyacinth is spreading, and Cairo is worried. Most measures taken to eliminate this plant have failed, and it threatens Egypt with an annual loss of 10% of its share of Nile waters.
The plants consume 3 billion cubic meters (792.5 billion gallons) of water yearly, which studies show is enough to plant about 100 new acres of land. Hamida Ali, the head of the Water Users Association of the Tetouan Sea Canal in Fayoum province, told Al-Monitor the hyacinths also impede water flow to canals and, in turn, to farms.
Though the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation already cleans the canal before the beginning of the summer crop season, farmers who are members of the Water Users Association often have to bear the expense of additional cleanings because of the hyacinths, Ali said.
The water hyacinth has existed in the Nile River since Muhammad Ali’s days in the 1800s, according to Salah Ezz, the head of the Nile River Protection and Development Department at the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.
