Muhamma: A young scientist from Muhamma, C S Rishikesh, has developed an innovative device to tackle the growing problem of water hyacinth in Kerala’s canals and backwaters. The low-cost, easy-to-use system was inaugurated by Agriculture Minister P Prasad at a function held at the Muhamma boat jetty on Monday.

The device is designed to be simple and user-friendly, enabling even women working under the employment guarantee scheme to pull the hyacinth ashore while standing on the banks. Rishikesh explained that the system offers a low-cost, efficient solution to remove water hyacinth, which poses a threat to fishermen and water transport. He added that the device could also be adapted for canal tourism projects by transforming the collected hyacinth into furniture such as chairs and teapoys and be utilised in a coffee shop setup.

CITU (Clam Workers Union) District Treasurer K S Damodaran, K N Vipinendran, K S Rajesh, T D Manmathan and C K Venkittaraman ec spoke on the occasion.