Mahahual, Q.R. — Authorities are looking at installing an additional several hundred meters of anti-sargassum barrier in the southern area of Mahahual. Marco Antonio Muñoz Hernández, Commander of the 11th Naval Zone from the Secretariat of the Navy, responsible for sargassum monitoring and cleaning, says the additional barrier would help protect the town’s beaches.
Muñoz Hernández says talks are underway with local authorities to begin the installation of between 400 and 500 meters within a week. The installation would benefit the hotels located along the final stretch of the coastal zone.
He says the final decision will depend on a technical analysis of the area, which could lead to a modification of the proposed extension by either reducing or increasing it.
“There’s an issue we’re analyzing to see if we could install a few more sections of barrier to be able to, let’s say, free up the tourist section toward the last hotels. We did a calculation the other day and we’re talking about around 400 to 500 meters, but the final amount will depend on when we actually make the decision.
“We’re still analyzing it, but if it’s feasible, what we have installed today, 2,250 meters, plus 300 more meters, is what’s established according to the plan, and what we’re looking at is installing more meters toward the south.”
He says if the new barriers are approved, they will be new, not reused from previous years.
To date, 2,150 meters of sargassum containment barriers have already been installed along the Costa Maya tourist area. The initial plan, according to Muñoz Hernández, was to install 2,750 meters of anti-sargassum barrier.
This new phase of installation is expected to cover a larger portion of the hotel zone, protecting the destination’s image by helping to keep beaches clear of seaweed. The expansion project is being considered given the volume of sargassum the area has dealt with already this season.
