Authorities in Quintana Roo prioritized the installation of a sargassum barrier at Playa del Niño in Cancún due to sea conditions that complicate its placement in other areas such as Puerto Morelos. The strategy aims to reduce the environmental and tourism impact of the macroalgae.
The fight against sargassum in Quintana Roo continues with new adjustments to the containment strategy. State and municipal authorities reported that the sargassum barrier installed at Playa del Niño in Cancún was prioritized because ocean conditions there allow for more efficient operation than in other areas of the state.
According to officials from the Benito Juárez City Council, factors such as strong ocean currents and tidal behavior pose a challenge to placing these types of structures off the coast of Puerto Morelos, where the waves hinder their operation.
Fernando Haro, the director of Ecology for the municipality of Benito Juárez, explained that the response to the sargassum phenomenon is coordinated between different agencies.
While the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (SEMA) and the Agency for Strategic Projects (Agepro) participate in the planning of the actions, the Ministry of the Navy maintains collection work on the high seas and the municipal government is in charge of removing the macroalgae in the access points and public beaches.
Currently, the barrier installed at Playa del Niño is the only one of its kind in the municipality and is part of a scheme that seeks to reduce the arrival of sargassum to one of the most visited recreational areas by residents and tourists.
The strategy to combat sargassum has also been criticized in recent days, after images circulated on social media showing several anti-sargassum barriers stored on a plot of land, not installed in front of the affected beaches.
The publications raised questions about the use of the equipment acquired to deal with the massive arrival of the macroalga, a phenomenon that impacts tourism and the environmental balance of the Mexican Caribbean every year.
The arrival of sargassum continues to be one of the main challenges for Quintana Roo, since in addition to affecting the image of the beaches, it implies high cleaning costs and represents a challenge for the authorities in charge of maintaining the tourist destinations of the state in good condition.
