Online lecture presentation on 22 May 2023 at 10:00AM (BST) by Professor Dr P.I. Haris to mark the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the water hyacinth plant. The lecture is free to attend. If you are interested to attend online, please email pharis@dmu.ac.uk to get the lecture link.
200th Anniversary of the Discovery of the Water Hyacinth Plant: its Changing Image in Bangladesh From Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
Prof Parvez I. Haris
Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester, United Kingdom, E-Mail: pharis@dmu.ac.uk
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the Water hyacinth plant in Brazil by the German botanist, Carl von Martius. It is the fastest growing aquatic plant in the world. It has beautiful flowers which made it very attractive as an ornamental plant for ponds and water gardens. As a consequence, it spread rapidly from Brazil to North America, Asia, Australia and Africa. It became a cause for concern since its rapid growth led to negative impacts such as blockage of waterways, making it difficult to carry out activities such as fishing, boating etc The plant was first introduced in India (specifically in Eastern Bengal region, which is currently Bangladesh) in 1910. It soon became a problem there and the authorities made much effort to control its spread but with little or no success. Even the National Poet of Bangladesh, Kazi Nazrul Islam, wrote a poem in the late 1920s that focused on destroying water hyacinth which he considered as a devil and not a plant. For over 120 years, starting first in the USA, extensive effort has been made to control or eradicate water hyacinth from rivers and lakes. This has not been successful and increasing number of scientists are suggesting that we have to find ways of co-existing with it and discover beneficial use of this amazing plant. At De Montfort University, we have demonstrated that water hyacinth plant can remove toxic elements, including arsenic and cadmium, from contaminated water including from a free-flowing British river [1]. Research conducted by NASA scientists in the USA suggested that the water hyacinth has value for not only phytoremediation but also as a source of human food. The plant is considered edible and is consumed in countries such as Thailand and Indonesia and its flowers are eaten in Bangladesh. Other research has demonstrated the use of water hyacinth as fertiliser and its biomass has been used for generation of biofuel. These and other advances in scientific research is changing the image of the water hyacinth plant in Bangladesh, compared to the days of the Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam in the 1920s. Indeed, this year, the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, highlighted how farmers in her home district are using water hyacinth to make soil-free beds, that float on water, for growing crops. This is valuable for a country that is adversely affected by flooding and climate change. Sheikh Hasina even has water hyacinth plant growing in her garden pond in Dhaka. Advances in science and technology has certainly changed the image of water hyacinth in Bangladesh. It is no longer seen as a devil but a plant that has potential to benefit human kind in different ways. This presentation will discuss critically the problems and potentials of the water hyacinth plant. [1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-29387-6
200th Anniversary of the Discovery of the Water Hyacinth Plant: its Changing Image in Bangladesh From Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
Prof Parvez I. Haris
Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester, United Kingdom, E-Mail: pharis@dmu.ac.uk
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the Water hyacinth plant in Brazil by the German botanist, Carl von Martius. It is the fastest growing aquatic plant in the world. It has beautiful flowers which made it very attractive as an ornamental plant for ponds and water gardens. As a consequence, it spread rapidly from Brazil to North America, Asia, Australia and Africa. It became a cause for concern since its rapid growth led to negative impacts such as blockage of waterways, making it difficult to carry out activities such as fishing, boating etc The plant was first introduced in India (specifically in Eastern Bengal region, which is currently Bangladesh) in 1910. It soon became a problem there and the authorities made much effort to control its spread but with little or no success. Even the National Poet of Bangladesh, Kazi Nazrul Islam, wrote a poem in the late 1920s that focused on destroying water hyacinth which he considered as a devil and not a plant. For over 120 years, starting first in the USA, extensive effort has been made to control or eradicate water hyacinth from rivers and lakes. This has not been successful and increasing number of scientists are suggesting that we have to find ways of co-existing with it and discover beneficial use of this amazing plant. At De Montfort University, we have demonstrated that water hyacinth plant can remove toxic elements, including arsenic and cadmium, from contaminated water including from a free-flowing British river [1]. Research conducted by NASA scientists in the USA suggested that the water hyacinth has value for not only phytoremediation but also as a source of human food. The plant is considered edible and is consumed in countries such as Thailand and Indonesia and its flowers are eaten in Bangladesh. Other research has demonstrated the use of water hyacinth as fertiliser and its biomass has been used for generation of biofuel. These and other advances in scientific research is changing the image of the water hyacinth plant in Bangladesh, compared to the days of the Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam in the 1920s. Indeed, this year, the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, highlighted how farmers in her home district are using water hyacinth to make soil-free beds, that float on water, for growing crops. This is valuable for a country that is adversely affected by flooding and climate change. Sheikh Hasina even has water hyacinth plant growing in her garden pond in Dhaka. Advances in science and technology has certainly changed the image of water hyacinth in Bangladesh. It is no longer seen as a devil but a plant that has potential to benefit human kind in different ways. This presentation will discuss critically the problems and potentials of the water hyacinth plant. [1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-29387-6
