Water hyacinth, this invasive plant hated to block dams, asphyxiate fish, infect water and cause floods, becomes an alternative source of energy and a source of income for Burkinabe populations.

Native to the Amazon basin, water hyacinth has been introduced in most hot countries as an ornamental plant. It has become a scourge in West Africa today, including Burkina Faso. Every year, the Ministry in charge of water and sanitation through the Nakanbé Water Agency launches major grubbing campaigns in the dams that supply Ouagadougou, invaded by the plant which proliferates rapidly and causes many damages: obstructed shipping lanes, disturbed ecosystem, asphyxiated fish, malfunction in turbines of hydroelectric dams.

This year, 45 hectares were treated on the banks of Mouhoun, Nakanbé and Nazinon rivers. 4500 tons were torn off.

The extracted biomass (organic waste) was then transported to bio-digester units in the city of Ouagadougou, to be transformed by a natural biogas biogas process and reused and reused as renewable energy, cooking gas, fertilizer fertilizers. and source of electricity. Water hyacinth treated becomes an economic opportunity.

Adama Ilboudo is the director of water and environment at the Nakanbé water agency, a water resources management structure in Burkina Faso.

However, the process of transformation is not enough today to fully fight against the proliferation of the plant and to unclog rivers, because the operations of uprooting the plant are long and expensive. Burkina Faso is therefore considering two other complementary methodologies: for the medium term, it is planned to strengthen the Ouagadougou water reservoirs alert and monitoring system. For the short term, to set up a process of biological destruction through breeding in the middle of insects (weevils and limnés), natural enemies of hyacinth.

Aimé Eric Ouédraogo
(Fondation Hirondelle Partnership)