Kamal Ghorui
Guwahati: City youth Rupankar Bhattacharjee has developed a process to convert water hyacinth — one of the world’s most invasive aquatic weeds—into organic paper, positioning the effort as both a pollution-control measure and a livelihood venture linked to wetland restoration.Water hyacinth spreads rapidly across water bodies, restricting sunlight, depleting oxygen and disrupting aquatic biodiversity, while also worsening water pollution. Disposal has long been a challenge, but Bhattacharjee began exploring whether the plant could be repurposed.“At that time, accessing the internet was a big thing, and I began researching water hyacinth. Through this, I learned that it contains both cellulose and hemicellulose fibres, which are essential components for making paper. To conduct trials, my friends and I used to go to Deepor Beel, where we spent time watching birds and collecting hyacinths. After many trials and errors, we finally succeeded in making the paper,” Bhattacharjee said.After initial success, Bhattacharjee sought to turn the work into a viable income stream. He applied to the ‘Zero Waste Cities Challenge’ and secured funding from a UK-based company after becoming global winners. He and partner Aniket then launched a small company, ‘Inside Out’, in 2020.“We were very young when we started this company. So, after two years, we started a new company called ‘Kumbhi-kagaz’, as ‘Jala Kumbhi’ is the name of water hyacinth, and ‘kagaz’ means paper,” he also said.Bhattacharjee, a student of Maharishi Vidya Mandir, said his path began in contemporary art before he met mentor Jayaditya Purkayastha, a herpetologist, and shifted focus toward wildlife-linked environmental work.“I love wildlife, and it was a dream come true. He came into my life at a very crucial turning point, when I was desperate to find a purpose,” he further added.
