Advocacy, Case Studies, Craftspersons/ Artisanal, Employment/ Livelihood
Crafting Water Hyacinth in Alimur Assam
Agarwalla, Richika
Issue 10,Summer 2023
Issue #10, 2023 ISSN: 2581- 9410
Begin to weave, and life will give you thread. This has been our story literally. During the pandemic, we happened to visit some artisans, who wove products from strands of water hyacinth. Water hyacinth is a water weed, growing up to two to three feet in height. This is an invasive plant species, which destroys all other flora and fauna in the water body by reducing the dissolved oxygen in the water. It is also a threat to water navigation. It is basically a waste. These artisans used to harvest the hyacinth in the winter months and stock them to weave products like handbags, mats etc. We- Richika and Noopur, did not have any formal design background. I am a Chartered Accountant and Noopur was a banker. However, we always had a fondness for home décor. We felt that this material will do really well for home décor and baskets, organizers etc. We gave them some designs, they turned out nice and we got good response on the same from our friends and family. We decided to take this initiative further.
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