Mahahual, Q.R. — The Mexican Navy has reinforced cleanup efforts on the coast of Mahahual following another arrival of sargassum. Due to winds and currents, the Navy says another “above average” batch has arrived.
Marco Antonio Muñoz Hernandez, Vice Admiral and Commander of the 11th Naval Zone, explained that the arrival of sargassum is above average by statistical standards.
Changes in wind and weather caused the macro algae to grow excessively and cross containment barriers, reaching the shore and inevitably making landfall. He says the mass arrival is making cleanup efforts in Mahahual more arduous.
According to Muñoz Hernandez, a clean up operation takes between four to six hours, during which time, they can collect up to four tons of sargassum. He says the acquisition and testing of sargassum cleaners and the deployment of two vessels have been key to beach cleanup ahead of the Easter holidays.
Muñoz Hernandez says due to the pressure exerted by the sargassum on the containment barriers, combined with the wind, the structures have detached, sometimes ending up on the community’s beaches.
After being collected, the corresponding authorities remove it from the beach and transport it to its final destination, however, there have been cases of people piling it on public streets.
“The community is dumping it on the streets and now both the municipality and the state government need to be involved in removing it from the streets and transporting it to its final destination,” he commented.
He says they have identified at lest two critical points and are working on an alternative to clear the sargassum that has landed on Mahahual sand.
