Fighting water weeds in West Africa Fighting water weeds in West Africa Water weeds are an environmental nightmare. They make waterways unnavigable, reduce the generating capacity of hydro-electric stations and block irrigation canals. By clogging sewage and drainage systems, they can cause flooding, contaminate drinking water and create breeding grounds for harmful insects and bacteria. Water weeds also contribute to water shortages.
Aquatic weeds absorb water and then release it through a process called transpiration.
As a result, water losses can be more than three times higher in weed infested water bodies. In West Africa, river systems cross many national borders, so international cooperation is essential in the fight against water weed infestations. In West Africa, the Plant Protection Service is providing technical support for a water weed management project in the inland waters of Burkina Faso, Ghana and Togo. The two-year project, which began in July 2000, is funded by FAO through its Technical Cooperation Programme . In West Africa, fishermen have been particularly hard hit by water weed infestations.