Cancun, Q.R. — Over 600 people participated in Cancun’s first simultaneous beach cleanup. Groups were spread out across six of the city’s public beach areas in a mass sargassum collection effort Saturday.
More than 600 personnel from 14 agencies participated in the day-long collection along a 12 kilometer stretch of Cancun coast.
“I appreciate the call to action that unites us: to clean our beaches of a natural phenomenon that we cannot control, but that we can do something about every day since it is a priority,” said Cancun Mayor Ana Paty Peralta.
On Saturday, Peralta led the first simultaneous beach cleanup in Cancun along 12 kilometers of coast. The mass sargassum collection stretched from Playa Gaviota Azul to Playa Delfines.
From Playa Delfines, Peralta pointed out that the state strategy “Everyone Against Sargassum” is led by Governor Mara Lezama, and therefore called on citizens to contribute to its conservation not only on this date, but every time they visit the beaches for their own benefit and that of the tourists who visit the destination.
“Here in Cancun we are absolutely committed to keeping our beaches clean and ensuring this beautiful landscape is not affected (…) so we will take action every day,” she said.
Oscar Rébora Aguilera, the Secretaría de Ecología y Medio Ambiente (Sema), said the simultaneous event in Cancun, organized by the City Council, is an example of how municipalities are prepared to respond to this macroalgae when it reaches the state’s coasts.
Government departments of the General Secretariat, Citizen Security and Traffic, Ecology and Urban Development and Public Works and Services, were some of the participating agencies distributed in teams along the coastline.
Volunteers from the local union, hotels, universities and military also participated in the mass Saturday beach clean.
Playa Gaviota Azul, Playa Chac Mool, Playa Marlín, Playa Cancún, Playa Ballenas and Playa Delfines were cleared of sargassum during the June 28 simultaneous beach cleanup.
