TAYTAY, RIZAL — The local government’s drive to clear the waters of water hyacinths, popularly known to many as water lilies, is gaining the support of a women’s group here.

This came as the Samahang Kababaihan sa Bagong Taytay, chaired by Joan Gacula, is offering livelihood opportunities to its members who will voluntarily gather the water lilies from rivers, creeks, and the lake.

Gacula said the project is designed primarily to help the local government to get rid of the water plants that obstruct the waterways here.

Participants in the livelihood project are paid based on the volume of water lilies that they have gathered.

When asked on what they intend to do with the waterlilies which they collected from participants, Gacula said that they dry them up and use it as their primary raw material in another livelihood program --- manufacture and sale of hand woven slippers, baskets and bags.