water Article Potential of Water Hyacinth Infestation on Lake Tana, Ethiopia: A Prediction Using a GIS-Based Multi-Criteria Technique Minychl G. Dersseh 1,*, Aron A. Kibret 2, Seifu A. Tilahun 1, Abeyou W. Worqlul 3, Mamaru A. Moges 1, Dessalegn C. Dagnew 4 , Wubneh B. Abebe 5 and Assefa M. Melesse 6 1 Faculty of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar P.O. Box 26, Ethiopia;
[email protected] (S.A.T.);
[email protected] (M.A.M.) 2 Amhara Bureau of Water Resources, Irrigation and Energy, Bahir Dar P.O. Box 88, Ethiopia;
[email protected] 3 Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Temple, TX 76502, USA;
[email protected] 4 Institute of Disaster Risk Management and Food Security Studies, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar P.O. Box 26, Ethiopia;
[email protected] 5 Amhara Design and Supervision Works Enterprise (ADSWE), Bahir Dar P.O. Box 1921, Ethiopia;
[email protected] 6 Department of Earth & Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; melessea@fiu.edu * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +251-918-702-284 Received: 29 June 2019; Accepted: 11 September 2019; Published: 14 September 2019 Abstract: Water hyacinth is a well-known invasive weed in lakes across the world and harms the aquatic environment. Since 2011, the weed has invaded Lake Tana substantially posing a challenge to the ecosystem services of the lake. The major factors which affect the growth of the weed are phosphorus, nitrogen, temperature, pH, salinity, and lake depth. Understanding and investigating the hotspot areas is vital to predict the areas for proper planning of interventions.