Puerto Morelos, Q.R. — Federal employees of the maritime area of Puerto Morelos have intensified beach cleaning efforts. The municipality’s beaches have seen a large landfall of sargassum due to a week of strong winds. Last month alone, over 119 tons was collected.
So far this year, Zofemat (Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone) employees have removed 630 tons of seaweed from 18 kilometers of Puerto Morelos beaches. Zofemat Puerto Morelos head Gerardo Rosas García says that the sandbanks are swept daily, however, during sargassum season, 40 workers are on the beaches daily to remove the washed up seaweed.
“We’re heading into the Easter holidays so our goal is to keep our entire coastline as free of sargassum as possible, as instructed by Mayor Blanca Merari Tziu. In particular, the busiest public beaches that have Blue Flag certification such as Ventana al Mar and Playa Sol,” he said.
So far this year, 632.59 tons of sargassum has been collected and transported to the containment area located at km 1 of the Ruta de los Cenotes. According to data collected, March has been the month with the largest collection of macroalgae, with 119.2 tons.
Meanwhile, in the first week of April, from the 1st to the 6th, 75.31 tons of seaweed was collected from the 18 kilometers of municipal coastline.
Rosas García noted that this natural phenomenon occurs year after year and its presence on the coast depends on the swells and winds, which in recent days have reached over 40 kms/h and gusts of up to 70 kms/h due to the southerly winds.
He emphasized that the Secretary of the Navy, in charge of the strategy to combat sargassum, has already installed 2,100 linear meters of anti-sargassum mesh to reduce its impact on beaches. Sargassum is also being collected from the sea.
For cleaning, a Roll Off tractor, containers and two sweepers are available, which cover the beaches from The Fives Hotel to the fiscal pier, a section that includes beaches such as Ventana al Mar, Ojo de Agua, Playa Sol, Pelícanos, Cayuse, Arrecife and the Secundaria Técnica No. 7, he said.
Rosas García said there is a joint effort with the Secretariat of Ecology and Environment (SEMA) of the Quintana Roo government, as well as with hotels in Puerto Morelos to maintain the destination’s sandy beaches in a good light for the enjoyment of visitors and residents.
