Playa del Carmen Installs 5-Kilometer Barrier to Combat Sargassum Influx

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The municipal government has begun installing a five-kilometer marine barrier to contain sargassum seaweed washing ashore, marking one of the most extensive containment efforts in recent years.

Installation started in the stretch between Fundadores Park and Constituyentes Pier, extending toward Playa Golondrinas. Officials have already placed 69 modules, each 15 meters long, covering just over one kilometer.

Kandy Mendoza, Secretary of Sustainable Environment and Climate Change, announced the project during a press conference. She said the goal is to protect the entire public coastline from Playa Cisne to Playa Esmeralda.

According to Mendoza, authorities collected 30,580 tons of sargassum in 2025, the highest volume recorded in the past four years. So far in 2026, before the traditional peak arrival period in March, crews have already removed 1,288 tons.

The official reported that an investment of approximately 45 million pesos from the Environmental Sanitation Fund, with contributions from businesses and hoteliers, will strengthen containment and cleanup operations.

Currently, 15 active collection points operate with about 150 beach workers, supported by 70 Mexican Navy personnel and specialized machinery for seaweed removal.

In parallel, authorities announced the rehabilitation of the final disposal site with 10,000 square meters of geomembrane and geotextil to prevent leaks and ensure more controlled environmental management of collected material.

Mendoza noted that sargassum influx has intensified in the Caribbean over the past decade. Oceanographic research links the increase to changes in marine currents, water temperature, and nutrient discharges in the Atlantic, leading to massive arrivals at various points along the Quintana Roo coast.

While marine barriers cannot completely prevent seaweed from reaching shore, Mendoza emphasized they reduce the volume that lands directly on sand, making removal easier before decomposition causes environmental, health, and tourism impacts.

Municipal authorities acknowledged sargassum will continue to be a recurring phenomenon, so the strategy aims to anticipate arrivals and reduce their impact on economic activity and the destination’s image.