Eco Ganesha made from water hyacythns, a most noxious invasive aquatic weed

Elsie Gabriel, founder, Young Environmentalists Programme Trust, and national coordinator, Oceans Climate Reality Project India, has come up with Eco Ganesha, made from recycled water hyacinths and silt from Powai Lake. She presented it to Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on September 7 at Powai lake:

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The Mayor inspected the biodiversity of the lake and its preparations for the festival. "The raw earthy eco Ganesha highlighted the importance of Powai Lake silt, recycling of Water Aquatic Plant waste before they travel to the already overfilled landfills. Cutting carbon footprints and promoting circular economy, the Powai lake is connected to our ocean via the Mithi river", said Elsie Gabriel who has been creating Eco Ganesha campaigns for all stratas of society for over a decade.

Besides teaching community women, the Young Environmentalists Programme NGO has been teaching this art project and clay moulding to thousands of students over the years as part of their EVS curriculum in Lake and ocean conservation.
Elsie is researching on the rich biodiversity of Powai lake which leads to the ocean being overtaken by water hyacinths and aquatic weeds causing the Lake to shrink and deprive Aquatic ecosystem of sunlight and oxygen, focusing on the influx of sewage and silt traps. The mayor has encouraged the ecofriendly Ganesha and is committed to rejuvenate the lake.
The idols can be made from marble, biodegradable mediums, flowers and leaves, paper and cardboard, metal, and immersed in a bucket of water keeping safety, Covid isolation protocol in mind, in order to have a safe and happy Ganesh Chaturthi.
Eichhornia crassipes, or water hyacythns, is among the world’s most noxious invasive aquatic weeds.
Climatic and water conditions are the main determinant factors for the growth and expansion of water hyacinth. The weed has substantial negative impacts on the Powai lake's hydrology, socioeconomics, and aquatic ecosystem causing it to shrink.
The lessons for management of Powai Lake water hyacinth are employing preventive and integrated management approaches. Reducing pollutant loads and nutrient enrichment through integrated watershed management is suggested to reduce the Powai Lake eutrophication as there are over a dozen or more crocodiles and various varieties of fresh water fishes in the lake.
The hyacinth has come to cover over half the 688-hectare, and along with the highly polluted silt settled on the lake bed is fast killing organisms.
Use of recycling Water Hyacythns into biobricks and sustainable products like bags and fabric is advised, giving this agro waste economic value instead of being burnt in landfills emitting dangerous gases, after being transported usurping fuel and manpower.

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