I did some small-scale research with water hyacinth. I'm living on a smallholding in the Sable Hills area, near Roodeplaat dam. I have a large swimming pool size duck pond. I collected water hyacinth at Roodeplaat dam by the bakkie loads and put it in my duck pond. The ducks couldn't stop eating water hyacinth! Eventually I had to protect the water hycinth from the ducks by fencing off an area for the water hycinth, but the ducks always found a way through or over the fence. I eventually had to give up, and the ducks live from duck pellets again. Here's my solution to the water hycinth problem: start a duck farm. Create a floating platform in the middle of the dam for the ducks to retreat to, be protected against predators and to breed. Wallah! The ducks shall gobble up the water hycinth!

If the Harties community work together, this can be a job creation opportunity. Without involving the government

We designed a special dredger a few years ago that would have taken care of the entire problem, including the seeds. But not being a BEE company, they were not interested in us building and doing the work. All material would have been removed and a product used for cooking purposes as an end product...

It's an opportunity, not a problem. That's a goldmine in biomass and biogas

Pig and cattle feed, compost and mulch, all the studies have been done, someone just needs to utilise it commercially and the problem is gone.

Why dont they get that eggmixer thingamijig used overseas to churn up the hyacinths. Cant it tnen be used for fodder for animals? Where are the entreprenurial engineers of our country? Overseas?

It’s very good compost apparently. There someone doing it. I wonder what happened ??

Great content. Be nice to eradicate the problem.

Harties Dam is going through it and I hope thinga work out for that place because it's one of my faves to visit.

We used to ride motor boats at Harties in the mid 90s. It's so sad seeing this beautiful place like this.

We have the same problem here in Suriname. This weed is closing all creeks and trenshes. And its growing superfast

People think the hyacinth is what's worsening water quality meanwhile radioactive waste and raw sewage gets dumped daily

I dont know much about this, but isnt there a boat that can scoop up the plants out the water...similar to a lawnmover/garbage truck type device?

“Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), an aquatic noxious invasive weed native to South America, first appeared in countries in Africa in the early 1900s. Scientists there dubbed it the “world’s worst aquatic weed”, after it spread from South Africa in the Cape in the early 1900s and started clogging up major dams and rivers. In east Africa, the nefarious invader arrived with Belgian colonists in Rwanda, who liked the look of its glossy leaves and delicate purple flowers floating in their garden ponds. But by the 1980s, it had slipped out of Rwanda via the Kagera river and made its way downstream to Lake Victoria.” The silver lining is that it has a high ratio of carbon to nitrogen and some research has been done to see how it could be used as a biofuel in kenya, Nigeria and India. With Eskom issues this could be a source for biogas.

Thank you ANC.

How deep are the roots?

Thank's to the ANC the whole country is choking!

Is there any nutritional value in this plant? What about cattle fodder?

Nobody mentions the nutritional pollution from informal settlements! This country will never solve this weed problem!

Awesome documentary guys, thing is it boils down to what goes down the line, people should be aware of such and not just flush down anything or also contact the municipality when sewerage pipes burst as all eventually leads into the rivers which enter the dams and cost such issues

We were there this morning...looks like pumpkin leaves. Why accur in the beginning?

This used to be taken care of and managed by department of water affairs years ago. Since 1994 it has gone uncontrolled

What are predaters???

Isn't it time we become the predator. Harvest the plant use it for fertilizer or animal feed.

Fight invasive species infestation with another invasive species infestation... Doomed

From what I know of the hyacinth: You shouldn't try to eat it , they absorb lots of waste in the water You can try to use it as compost , but keep in mind they mostly consist of water , so when they start to dry you end up with about 20% mass from which you started , but could still work as compost There is a kind of poison that could only kill green plants , it won't do anything to aquatic life , but it is a bit expensive For all the fish lovers , the hyacinth is the safe haven for all biggest carp , so if you get rid of hyacinth then they'll get fished out

Perfect time to purchase devalued real estate there.

That is DANGEROUS . No poisons just hard work clearing it‼️‼️‼️

There is an animal that destroys these plants ,can't come on the name,but heard of it before ,here in Uitenhage the swartkop river runs through under the bridge on your way to Volkswagen ,that also have these plants and the cattle roaming here usually eats that pesky plants .

Do you know this is an edible plant! Tastes like celery actually

And when the residents set up a program...the government said NO... why? Greed... its our Ruling cause of all disasters in this country

Turn into biofuels and generate electricity 🤣

Go in with boat trollers and scoop them out. Just do something. This has been going on for years

you need to remove 2 lbs of water hycinth daily per week in every acre of water hycinth. ratio: 1 acre of water hycinth remove 2 lbs. per week. SIMPLE AS THAT. DO THE RESEARH ON HOW FAST THIS PLANT GROW AND MATH IT OUT CORRECTLY

It all comes down to waste management by the goverment. The same govermet responsible for loadshedding and municipal mal goverment. The govement is unintellegent and un trained

Harvest the stuff, turn it into bioethanol to fuel the boats to pick it up out of the water.

For PITIES SAKE NO BLOODY GOGGAS ‼️‼️‼️

Farmers could use the hyacinth to make compost. If it's job is to soak up waste from the water it's actually doing a good job. It's our job to pull out tons at a time and make profit from it by using as fertiliser for our farms

I don't know if any South Africans watch KZfaq, but hey....maybe there are some helpful videos on how to get rid of water hyacinth out there?

People who live along the river, who throw a lot of crap in the water and our government who does not fix sewerage pumps

Use nets to pull it out with

It's a pity that the video has such a poor narrator, who was furthermore also recorded using very low quality equipment.

For many years it has been happening here

Shocking! I remember it was cleaned up in late 1970's early 1980's. Why has is been allowed to get to this state? Oh, wait... It's cANCer!

Now there is a great work opportunity for many unemployment . This water hyacinth problem was sorted out twenty years ago but the problem recurred when there was no upkeep as always

Some sick person even put that weed in Lake chivero in Zimbabwe.

the problem with ducks, birds eating it, they consume it and then poo the seeds back in the water with added nutrients from the poo

Just listen to what they say !! Lack of maintenance . Labour intensive Labour RSA has ‼️‼️

Treating the problem, not the cause.🙃

we going to have to fix our water pollution problems and useless government departments and municipalities

In Malawi they use it to feed chickens

Fifty years ago South Africa was a world leader in engineering projects albeit on the backs of black workers. Talent has been chased overseas,resources depleted, explosive crime and corruption and a focus on developing military equipment, this is is probably the result. Another missed opportunity to develop a resource.

Who is the clown that first brought this hycinth to SA?

Aquatic lawn mower

And it is anothe thing that the small minded Anc can't deal with. But if there is money to steal....

These things happen in a Country with incompetent leadership. Viva ANC

Look at the brilliant ideas below for its commercial use. Give our guys a chance for job creation and economic boost and innovation.

swans will eat all the plants within a year, The problem is the communities eating the swans.

put a herd of hippos inm they devour the plant, 200kg each per day

Pre day tors

Use crop sprayers and spray it with weed killer. That is the only way out I can see

Turn it into compost

Clean up the jukskei of sewerage problem solved

Biodiesel

Tried that did not work african insects and birds had a feast

We call is kangkong weed

Duckweed

Fit a big shredder on a barge and shred the plant into tiny Pieces let it sink to the bottom

It appears that you're not receiving bang for your buck in South Africa. Isn't that what you pay income tax for?

20twentee🙄

Omg we pay 10 dollars for 3…

Fishing nets or Plant material. Which one you think entangled the boats? Weak excuse. Also why no mention of agricultural run-off, those farmers are probably not black...

Integrated management BRING ON THE HIPPOS 🦛🦛🦛🦛🦛🦛🦛