Egypt to research on Uganda’s new water weed
Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Prof Hossam Moghazy (3rd R) with his delegation from the embassy visit Ggaba Landing Site on Lake Victoria in Kampala last Thursday. PHOTO BY STEPHEN WANDERA
KAMPALA. Egypt has offered to research on the control and elimination of giant salvinia molesta, a new water weed, described by experts as worse than the water hyacinth.
According to Agriculture minister Tress Bucyanayandi, the fast-growing aquatic, which has massively spread on Lake Albert and Lake Kyoga are characterised by forming dense mats, brown, yellow or green in colour that affect fish and fishermen.
“Egypt has promised to pick samples of the weed and research more on it. This is a commendable move and I take this opportunity to applaud the Egyptian government. This weed is more complicated than the water hyacinth because it reduces oxygen to fish, makes it difficult to fish and our machines to harvest it because it is smaller,” he said.
Speaking after meeting the Egypt Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Prof Hossam Moghazy, at his office in Entebbe at the weekend, Mr Buchanayandi said the new weed poses a big threat to our fish sector.
Uganda earned $136.2m (Shs476b) as of December 14, 2015, according to Wikipedia, a free content encyclopedia from fish exports while coffee fetched $466.6m (Shs1.6 trillion) and tea $72.1m (Shs252b).
Prof Moghazy who was in Uganda for a three-day visit said he is to dispatch an Egyptian technical research team to Uganda in January to embark on the investigation.
During his stay, Mr Moghazy announced a grant of $4.5 million (Shs15b) to control floods in Kasese District which occured after River Nyamwamba burst its banks near Kyanzuki Primary school and severely damaged the Kyanzuki-Kilembe road in May.
About the weed
The weed referred to by locals as Nankabirwa, due to the absence of a native name, is ranked by the International Conservation Union (IUCN) among the worst 100 invasive weeds in the world.
The importation of Salvinia has been outlawed in many developed countries because of its devastating ecological and economic effect. The weed was added to the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) Alert List in 2007 and transferred to the List of Invasive Alien Plants in 2012 (EPPO 2012).
Research indicates that this aquatic fern, thrives in slow-moving, nutrient-rich, warm, freshwater. It grows very rapidly, outcompeting most aquatic plants and is dispersed long distances within water bodies via water currents and between water bodies through animals and contaminated equipment, boats or vehicles.
Wikipedia states that within a week under right circumstances, the weed, due to its rapid multiplication rate, can double in volume thereby clogging waterways and covering up the entire surface of the lake. It states that the weed can inhabit many water environments, including streams, rivers, ponds, aquariums, wetlands as well as rice fields
The emncyclopedia explains that the weed is known to be spread by boaters from site to site since it hitch-hikes on boats.
Wikipedia states that biological control with a weevil named Cyrtobagous salviniae is possible. “This weevil, which can be obtained from the Agricultural Research Service in the United States Department of Agriculture, is well known for reducing and completely checking Giant Salvania weed.
It has been used in several countries like Austria, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Zambia, New Guniea and others attaining great success. Also using Salvinia grasshopper, water lettuce moth and others can be effective.
