When the state forest department embarked on a project to make water hyacinth an economic resource, it did not know that with this weed, it was not only sowing seeds of women empowerment and clean ecology but also setting a milestone. Seeing the successful run of Punjab’s project of converting the obnoxious weed into artistic handicraft items, compost and organic dye, the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEFSGP) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) wants to replicate it for the Yamuna river as well. Like the state wetlands, Yamuna has also been affected by the dangerous floating weed, which is highly productive — it doubles in eight to 12 days and spread rapidly, choking the aquatic flora and fauna by blocking oxygen. Various measures adopted to curb the growth so far have not yielded promising results. However, National Coordinator for GEFSGP (New Delhi) Prabhjot Sodhi, is hopeful. “Punjab has given the idea and we will scale it up. The project will be developed with the help of Punjab, which has handled it successfully. It will be executed with the support of UNDP and Centre for Environment Education (CEE).” He added that the programme is likely to start in October and though they have shortlisted NGOs, no final decision has been taken yet. The NGOs will in turn form self-help groups of women from villages around Yamuna and once the projects take shape, grants by the UN body would flow. According to Sodhi, after the products are ready, marketing linkages will be forged. “We plan to tie up with schools and other institutions, which can buy file folders, pen stands, dustbins and paper-boxes made from hyacinth. Earlier, we had bought and sold products made in Punjab. We will also undertake knowledge management work, under which brochures will be printed and awareness about the product will be created,” he said. While Punjab will share its know-how, it will also seek help from GEFSGP for marketing its products. About the state’s experience, Jitendra Sharma, Chief Conservator of Forests (Hills) — who was the principal investigator for the Punjab project — said the best way to solve the weed menace in Ropar, Kanjali and Harike wetlands was to use it gainfully. When the state started the pilot project to make handicraft items, including purses, bags, files covers, lampshades and photo frames, it roped in NGO Sai Dharam Singh Grover Foundation in Dera Bassi, which formed a women’s self-help group. State Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, B C Bala, said: “We had adopted a multi-pronged approach. The beautiful handicrafts items, organic compost and dye were also made from the weed and the process was standardised by Forest Research Institute .” Giving a low-down on forward and backward linkages, Sodhi added that from harvesting the weed to marketing the finished products, all steps were crucial and UNDP help will be taken.