Did you know that water hyacinth can be used to make furniture?

Municipal authorities and environmental experts have been battling the plague of water hyacinth, an invasive and free-floating aquatic plant, considered a threat to the biodiversity of a waterbody.

The Adambakkam lake and Guduvanchery Eri are said to have shrunk partly due to the growth of water hyacinth. S. Chiranjeevi, senior conservative co-ordinator, Environmentalist Foundation of India, says, “Before rejuvenating a pond or a lake, we make it a point to clear the sewage through de-watering and then remove the hyacinth.

The invasive plant grows in the water-holding area due to residents clandestinely discharging sewage through stormwater drains that are meant to carry rainwater."

Water hyacinth blocks sunlight from reaching native aquatic plants and starves the water of oxygen and kills fishes, he points out.In a waterbody infested heavily with water hyacinth for a long time, the water will turn black and become dry affecting the flora and fauna, he adds.

At present, water hyacinth removed from waterbodies is discarded as waste. But water hyacinth can be brought into the living room. There are certain places in the world where water hyacinth is used to make furniture.

“Water hyacinth possesses all the qualities for fashioning quality furniture. It only needs some drying and basic processing. It is an eco-friendly material to be used at home. It only requires a basic wooden or a bamboo frame around which the material can be woven,” says Ram Narendran, who owns Cane 'O' Cane.

Sourcing water hyacinth from local ponds in Neelankarai, Narendran has been using them in the making of furniture since 2010. For him, the water hyacinth not only brings profit but is a way of helping the environment.

Narendran says furniture made with water hyacinth are low maintanenance. “Dust and clean them regularly. Keep the furniture dry and put them in a place that has good ventilation. The furniture however may develop molds if exposed to the elements.”