Water hyacinths are not only beautiful pond decorations – they are also noxious weeds that pullulate across the world, creating all sorts of problems by blocking the flow of waterways. In India, they notably cause blockages in canals that irrigate farmers’ fields, which local governments struggle to remove every year. But one entrepreneur is putting this troublemaker to good use: he’s taught women living in rural villages to weave them into handbags, laptop bags, wallets, and other crafts, which provides them with sustainable livelihoods in areas where employment options are scarce.

Abdul Mujeeb was born in a village near Tenali, in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. He was brought up in Hyderabad and trained as an electrical engineer. After graduation, he ran a tutoring institute. In 2014, he was searching for ideas for a student’s science project when he came upon articles about water hyacinths that explained that its stalks could be dried and used in weaving. Mujeeb saw an opportunity: near his native village, water hyacinths were everywhere, and the women who lived there had very few opportunities to work.





An irrigation canal near Tenali blocked by water hyacinths.



He tells the rest of the story: