Engineer quits Tata Group to turn water weed into saris; clocks Rs 1.2 crore annual turnover

Growing up in a village in north Bihar in Purnia district, Gaurav Anand saw his uneducated yet visionary great-grandfather deeply committed to environmental issues. When his family moved to Dhanbad in Jharkhand, he saw a total disregard for the environment in the Tier 2 city. He observed choked drains, waste dumping, stinking septic tanks and rampant use of concrete. 

“The influence of my great-grandfather and the urgent need to pay attention to the environment motivated me to study environmental engineering at Kuvempu University in Karnataka. That is what drove me to establish the Swachhatapukare Foundation in Jamshedpur in 2019,” says the 48-year-old. He quit his job at the Tata Group to set up the foundation. 

One of the major projects of the foundation is to use the invasive aquatic weed water hyacinth to make unique handloom ‘fusion saris’ and other products. 

The saris are sold online, reaching customers in Delhi, Bangalore, France, Italy and Dubai. 

The venture clocks an annual turnover of around Rs 1.2 crore. 

Empowering women

This waste-to-wealth project not only helps protect ecosystems but also uplifts and empowers rural women by providing them with sustainable livelihoods. Gaurav and his team work with women’s self-help groups in rural areas. 

Gaurav has worked with nearly 400 tribal women in this initiative. 

“The women earn Rs 5,000-Rs 12,000 monthly depending on the products they make. For instance, making the covers of 100 notebooks would fetch them an income of Rs 6,000. We supply the materials they take home and work on,” he says. 

Also Read: Aquatic weed water hyacinth gives rise to ecofriendly handicrafts industry in the North-East

Currently operational in West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Delhi, and a few other locations, the project involves training women to convert water hyacinth into eco-friendly products. 

Innovation Award

The water hyacinth innovation is featured in a book on the ‘Honey Bee Network Creativity & Inclusive Innovation Awards - HBN CRIIA-India, 2024’. Honey Bee Network was set up by Prof Anil Gupta, a former faculty of IIM, Ahmedabad committed to promoting grassroots innovations. 

“We won an innovation award for turning an invasive species into a sustainable livelihood option at the HBN-CRIIA-India 2024. The award was given for taking care of the community and the environment. It was a very inspiring experience to take part in the event. I found partners there whom I am working with now. The event validated the potential of grassroots innovations to drive social and environmental change,” relates Gaurav. 

Also Read: Meera Chandran: This woman quit TCS to fight invasive plant species and restore degraded forests of Western Ghats

Nuisance value 

Water hyacinth or Pontederia crassipes is an invasive aquatic plant native to South America. The perennial, free-floating plant grows throughout the world and multiplies rapidly. The plant forms a canopy on the surface of the water, blocking oxygen supply and hurting aquatic plants and animals. The weed also chokes waterways, limits boat traffic and affects flood control. 

After death, the plant rots and sinks to the bottom of the water body, affecting the water quality. Also, where it grows in abundance, there is a danger of mosquitoes and pathogens posing a threat to human health. 

Swachhatapukare’s innovative initiative has turned an environmental challenge into an opportunity for positive change.

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Waste to wealth

When Gaurav studied the weed, he discovered that the content was mainly cellulose. This could be used to make textiles and paper. “We have not patented the process as it comes under the area of agriculture.  The processing of water hyacinth first involves extracting the weed out of the water.  Then a machine called a ‘decoticator’ removes the pulp. The leaf and stem are separated. The stem is dried for seven days in the sun. Once the moisture evaporates, we paste it on a sheet,” he explains.  

“When we remove water hyacinth, the health of the water body improves. No synthetic dyes or chemicals are used in making the saris or other products.” 

The ‘fusion saris’ are made from processed water hyacinth and other materials. The foundation began making saris in January 2023. 

Cotton, jute, silk, bamboo fibre, banana fibre and even pet bottle fibre (for the borders) are used to make the saris. They are priced at around Rs 4,000 and made entirely on handlooms. 

“Our first product was a notebook with a cover made of water hyacinth. In our notebooks and diaries, we use either handmade paper or regular paper. The diaries cost around Rs 250,” says Gaurav.

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Other products made using processed water hyacinth are pen stands, utility boxes (Rs 200), files and folders, laptop bags, carry bags for children, handbags, wallets, and photo frames.  

Paper bags for packaging are also made from water hyacinth.   

Also Read: Five entrepreneurs making cash from trash

River conservation 

After graduating, Gaurav worked on a World Bank-funded project in Madhya Pradesh on river conservation. Subsequently, he worked with the Tata Group for 17 years largely in the waste management field. 

Then came Mission Gange, a one-month expedition supported by the Tata Group, that was a life-changing experience. “Bachendri Pal and eight other Everesters also participated in the river rafting expedition. When I returned from the expedition, I felt that if I didn't work for the river, I had not done anything. This expedition triggered the setting up of the Swachhatapukare Foundation. I now regularly lead river clean-ups in Swarnarekha river in Jamshedpur,” narrates Gaurav. 

“When we were cleaning the river, we came across the invasive aquatic weed water hyacinth. It would reduce dissolved oxygen in water to 0.7 mg per litre. At least 5 mg is required for aquatic life to survive. While the issue was in the news, nothing was being done about it,” says Gaurav. That’s what led him to work with water hyacinth.

About the NGO    

The Swachhatapukare Foundation is a Section 8 non-profit organization dedicated to community and environmental development. It is committed to encouraging sustainable development by combining women’s empowerment, environmental preservation, and the well-being of artisans. 

Swachhatapukare Foundation works in five areas - water, waste, renewable energy, Urban Lab and the TEDx chapter for talks. “We put our heads together in the Urban Lab project to find solutions for urban challenges related to the environment, technology, traffic, water, affordable energy, and other issues. The water hyacinth project is a venture of the Urban Lab,” explains Gaurav. 

In the pipeline 

Gaurav and his team are working on making biofertilisers from water hyacinth. 

They are also working on a water filter made from the roots of the plant. 

“Also, we are working on making bioplastics. Currently, there is an issue of strength. We also plan to make cheaper ecofriendly packaging material from water hyacinth. Earlier, we had made lampshades and sold 200 in 2023. A 1.5-foot lampshade would cost Rs 2,000.  Dokra and Bastar art was also incorporated in the lampshade. At that time, we could not scale up production. We also made wall hangings. We plan to revive those two products,” says Gaurav enthusiastically. 

“A leather-like substance using processed water hyacinth is also being explored. Scaling up is the major plan. We want to strengthen our social media presence. We want to collaborate with fashion designers for saris. At present, Shanti Niketan interns help us with design.”   

“I have spent 25 years working in the environmental issue area and will work in this field till my last breath. The lessons I learnt from my great-grandfather and his determination are guiding my work even today,” says a steadfast Gaurav. 

(Aruna Raghuram is a freelance journalist based in Bengaluru. She writes about people, environmental matters, parenting, DEI issues, and social/development enterprises.)

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