Abstract:

Water hyacinth is a native plant in tropical South America where it naturally occurs harmlessly in streams and seasonally flooded environments. The plant has been introduced to almost all parts of the world mainly by admirers of its beautiful flower. In its new range water hyacinth has become one of the most troublesome water weeds largely because of its very fast growth rate to form impenetrable mats. The potential menace of water hyacinth on water resources in Uganda was first highlighted by FIRI scientists when they identified the weed on Lake Kyoga in 1988. The origin of that infestation is still unknown. Isolated mats of the weed were subsequently found in the Entebbe area of Lake Victoria in 1989. Their origin has been traced to Rwanda via the River ICagera. Water hyacinth is now a major threat to inshore water environment, fisheries and the socio-economic wellbeing of lakeside communities in Uganda. It is a potential threat to some lakeshore industries like hydroelectric power generation at the Owen Falls Dam