Mohammed Mabrouk, a farmer in Matai, Minya governorate, struggled to secure enough water for his soy crop. The water hyacinths that have long plagued the nearby Fataika canal are becoming more of a threat to his livelihood with each passing year. “It’s become too much for us to handle, and it’s taking up most of the canal’s water,” he tells Egyptian Streets. “It’s becoming more widespread, and this year, it’s become too much for us to handle.” Mabrouk, like the hundreds of farmers in neighboring villages, has been unable to control the water hyacinths that are exacerbating the dwindling water supply to the essential crops of corn, soy, and grapes that the region produces. Native to the Amazon River in South America, water hyacinths have posed a significant threat to river ecosystems in the Middle East and North Africa since their introduction in Egypt as ornamental plants in the 1880s, and while the exact record is not clear on who first brought it to Egypt, one tale suggests that Khedive Tawfiq was the one who imported it to Egypt because of his fondness for beautiful plants. Known locally as Ward…
Farmers Battle Invasive Water Hyacinths in Egypt Amid Water Scarcity
July 29, 2024
