Quintana Roo is on red alert due to the arrival of sargassum in quantities that reach up to 50 tons per day per municipality; Given this, businessmen from the Riviera Maya called for the immediate intervention of the three levels of government to contain the problem.
The director of the Sargassum Monitoring Center, Esteban Amaro, stated that the sargassum stain, which covers the Quintana Roo territory, measures around 150 kilometers in diameter.
In this regard, the president of the Caribbean Business Coordinating Council of the Riviera Maya, Lenin Amaro, highlighted the importance that the directors of the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone (Zofemat), allocate more elements that are dedicated to the removal of the algae as soon as possible before it breaks down and the bad smell becomes a health problem.
He demanded that the authorities put into operation the two sargacero boats that they have for the area and the installation of 2.5 kilometers of barriers, in order to avoid the bad image that the algae gives to tourists, especially now that the Easter holidays are approaching.
In an interview, Esteban Amaro said that from February to March the tons of sargassum on the beaches of the entity increased by almost two million since 4.2 million tons arrived in February.
The specialist affirmed that the Navy just announced that in the third week of April it will install the barriers to contain said algae; In addition, the collection vessels are about to start operating.
He accepted it would be good to rethink the entire strategy of attention to this problem, with the support of local scientists; although the participation of the community would also be necessary.
He anticipated that each year the arrival of sargassum will be more intense and will arrive earlier in the season.
In recent days, businessmen from Mahahual, in Chetumal, the state capital, also requested the participation of the three levels of government to address this problem.
