With its waterbodies choking under a thick carpet of densely intertwined weed for decades, Kottayam is now warming up to water hyacinth as a source of income.
With multiple attempts to clear the waterbodies of water hyacinth proving ineffective and expensive, the authorities are now looking to control the growth of the weeds through its economic utilisation. The Meenachil-meenanthara-Kodoor River re-linking project, a government-people collaborative that spearheads the river restoration project in Kottayam, has kick-started consultations in this regard with a Tamil Nadu-based natural fibre manufacturing unit.
