ICRISAT’s solar water hyacinth harvester among India’s top innovations

ICRISAT’s solar-powered water hyacinth harvester has been listed among India’s Top 100 Innovations 2025. The eco-friendly device helps rural communities remove invasive weeds, improve water flow, and convert biomass into compost or biogas, offering a sustainable freshwater restoration solution

Sangareddy: A solar-powered water hyacinth harvester from the International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has now earned a place in the prestigious top 100 Indian innovations 2025, published by the India Innovators Association (IIA).

ICRISAT has been restoring freshwater ecosystems using its solar-powered water hyacinth harvester. The recognition of this harvester as one of India’s top 100 innovations of 2025 was announced during the launch of the book top 100 Indian Innovations 2025 at the India International Innovation and Invention Expo (INEX India) held in Goa on November 13.

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It highlights the significance of ICRISAT’s solar-driven, eco-friendly solution in combating water hyacinth infestation, a persistent problem affecting millions of people and water systems across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Designed and invented in-house, the harvester would provide a sustainable alternative to conventional mechanical weed removal systems. It will utilize solar energy to enable rural communities to clear waterways, improve water flow in tanks and reservoirs, and repurpose the collected biomass for composting, biogas generation, or other value-added uses.

ICRISAT secured its first industrial design registration in India in 2024, followed by an IP licensing agreement with Eco-Paryavaran in 2025.

ICRISAT Director General Dr Himanshu Pathak said the world was confronting evolving challenges of climate change and innovations like this would redefine what is possible for sustainable ecosystem restoration.