Integrated Mechanical Water Hyacinth (እንቦጭአረም) Harvesting Machine manufactured by Mulat Industrial Engineering PLC and Bahir Dar University is working in its full capacity

Tana which is one of the largest lakes in Ethiopia is located to the north-west part of Bahir Dar City. It is a source of Blue Nile and a habitat of biodiversity including a variety of fish. Its islands which are often visited by local and foreign tourists through boats are historical and religious; as a result, it has earned significant income to the country.
 
Although Lake Tana is such impressed scene and a means of income to the country, the north-east part of it has been threaten with Water hyacinth weed (እንቦጭአረም) which is a free-floating plant on the water surface that has impeded the lives of the lake by protecting sunlight in reaching deepest part of the lake, depleting oxygen in the water, making it difficult for transportation, fishing, and minimizing spread rate of irrigation and power generation.
 
For this reason, several attempts have been made to overcome the drastic growth of the weed. Scholars and researchers have tried to propose different technologies in this regard, such as chemical means like using herbicides, biological means like using insects and using mechanical like removing the weed from the water using mechanical means.
 
Moreover, in collaboration with Mulat Industrial Engineering, Bahir Dar University tried to manufacture water hyacinth harvesting machinery and tested it in the densest water hyacinth site. The machine was manufactured and assembled by Mulat Industrial Engineering workshop.
 
This technology contains one harvesting machine, two transporter boats, and one conveyor belt. The harvesting machine harvests the weed, the draft of 35 cm with a capacity of 12m3. It has 125hp motor and uses up to 4 L diesel/gas oils per hour. The transporter bots transport up to 80m3 weeds from the farthest part of the lake to conveyor belt. It has 76hp motor. It is built to easily transfer the weed from the harvesting machine to the transporter bots at the place of harvesting. All in all, this technology is able to collect an average of 1000m3 per day.
 
Now, the machine is working in its full capacity and it is on the process to hand over the machinery to Regional Environmental Bureau.
 
images: 
Share