Water hyacinths in Malebo Pool, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic)

Malebo Pool (formerly Stanley Pool), lakelike expansion of the lower Congo River above Livingstone Falls, between the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) to the west and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa) to the east. It covers an area of 174 square miles (450 square km) and is divided into deep navigable channels by Bamu Island in its centre. Water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) is a beautiful plant, but is considered to be one of the world's most destructive and unbeatable weeds. It clogs up rivers, hydroelectric plants, waterways and entire lakes, killing aquatic life, hampering river transport and fisheries, endangering the livelihoods of millions of poor people in the tropics. According to a study produced by the World Conservation Council (IUCN), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the water hyacinth is now the world's most destructive pest, costing billions of dollars in damages each year. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from March 17, 1970 to July 17, 1970.