The Secretariat of the Navy of Mexico (Semar) announced that in six months, the strategy to contain the atypical phenomenon of sargassum on the coast of Quintana Roo managed to collect more than 85 thousand tons of this seaweed, both offshore and on land. In this context, the arrival in Cancun of a sargacero type ship that will support these tasks has been announced by local authorities.
The figures were known directly by the Secretary of the Navy, Rafael Ojeda Durán, during a meeting with governor Carlos Manuel Joaquín González, and officials of the three government orders, to assess the progress of these works, during the last week.
From May to October of this year, 544.15 tons of sargassum were collected at sea and 84 thousand 549 tons on land, with the collaboration of 22,602 people, along 13,377 meters of barrier and in 18 thousand meters of coast, with the support of 183 pieces of machinery.
The admiral stressed that the Semar coordinates the attention of sargassum on the beaches of Quintana Roo, both with the state government and with the municipalities and even the concessionaires and civil society, “which, as we have seen, in general is allowing to achieve good short-term results. ”
He stressed that the strategy of the federal government also includes medium and long-term actions, and that activities to develop an infrastructure to address this phenomenon, will continue for the following and subsequent years.
“We do not know how long the algae will continue to arrive in our coasts, but we have discovered that sargazzo has many commercial or industrial uses,” he said.
During the meeting of the Naval High Command and the state authorities, preventive actions against sargassum were proposed, as this phenomenon is expected to reappear next year.
The actions include collaboration agreements of the Semar with the government of Quintana Roo, as well as with the Cozumel Parks and Museums Foundation for the transfer of resources and research, respectively.
These works will not only require the participation of the Navy, but of several other institutions, in addition to non-governmental associations and civilian personnel, who throughout the past season carried out different tasks for the containment and eradication of the algae.
Ojeda Durán thanked and acknowledged the participation and commitment of the government of Quintana Roo, the institutions of the three orders of government, non-governmental organizations and civil society, but especially, the effort and disposition of naval personnel.
The Yucatan Times Newsroom
