Vol. 3 No. 2 (2021): WATER HYACINTH INVASION IN THE RIFT VALLEY LAKES BASIN—AN EMERGING ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHALLENGES: A REVIEW PAPER

Abstract
Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) occurs almost throughout wetlands of Africa and poses serious socioeconomic and environmental problems of people in riparian communities, which added constraints on the sluggish development process. This review aims to show the spatial distribution, characteristic and impacts of water hyacinth to initiate urgent policy attention and amelioration mechanisms in Rift Valley Lakes Basin (RVLB). This invasive weed has spread quickly from Amazon to many tropical and sub-tropical countries and known to cause major ecological, environmental, and socioeconomic challenges.