Water Hyacinth to replace Bamboo!

With the depletion of forests and ever-increasing cost of acquiring bamboo, a collective effort is being made to use water hyacinth as an alternative. North-eastern region of India abounds in water resources and water hyacinth happens to be a common feature of ponds and lakes. Being an aquatic plant, it’s amply available in rural areas and considered harmful to aquatic life underneath.

Certain organizations have come up with a novel idea to utilize this plant in an eco-friendly manner and generate a source of livelihood for rural poor. The stems of water hyacinth when dried, can work in same way as cane. They can be hand-weaved to make bags, decoration pieces, furniture and other handicraft items. The products made might range between Rs. 20 to Rs. 20000.

As the flattening of dry hyacinth is tedious and time- consuming, machines are being provided in various villages to ease the task. With the collective participation of artisans, designers and manufacturers, waste like water hyacinth can bear fruits in traditional lifestyle product market.

End of Hope!

Quite a few bridges had come up in 90’s to ease the flow of traffic on one of the oldest bridges of the city. Hope Bridge was constructed way back in 1877 under the supervision of the then district collector and magistrate, Theodore Hope. It was constructed at a cost of Rs. 0.813 million to connect two very popular parts of the district- Rander and Surat. Rander was at one time the seat of Muslim rulers who invaded and settled in the medieval times. Surat was always the gateway to Gulf and Europe with its main port at Magdalla.

Hope Bridge is located on Tapi River at Chowk Bazaar crossroads. This iron bridge was the only source of connectivity between Rander and Surat till the end of 1960. At the beginning of the year, when span of its approach end got titled, the Municipal Council decided for its dismantling and invited tenders for the scrap. However, the companies seemed hesitant to bid as the Council had set a high offset value. This had not proved feasible to the concerned parties.

Sooner or later, in case the scrap of the Hope is finally removed, one of the historic figures will see its end in a city increasing by square miles to accommodate the ever-growing and never-ending entry of people.