Irving Lili Madrigal, director of the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone (Zofemat), explained that the barrier will be deployed offshore from Fundadores Beach, in downtown Playa del Carmen, to Punta Esmeralda, the most popular public access point to the sea for local residents.
The project is being carried out by the municipality and the Mexican Navy. Previously, the barrier only extended 2.5 kilometers along the coast, from Fundadores to Punta Esmeralda, so this project doubles its length.
“The plan is to have five kilometers of barrier in coordination with the Navy, covering all our public beaches. It’s also important to remember that the hotels have their own barriers. We are already working with them to improve coordination. Several hotels have their own barriers and will be installing them, and we will provide them with support along with the Navy,”
explained Lili Madrigal.
This means that the majority of the city’s 14 public beach access points will be protected from sargassum seaweed, making it one of the areas with the most free access to the sea.
The sargassum season is expected to begin in March, when winds intensify from the central Caribbean Sea, where the majority of this organic matter accumulates.
At the beginning of the year, there was a slight influx of sargassum, but the phenomenon ceased with the arrival of cold fronts that brought northerly winds. Therefore, the beaches of this municipality are currently in favorable condition for tourism:
“Mayor Estefanía Mercado managed to secure this, and we are now implementing this 2.5-kilometer extension of the barrier… these are the public beaches, and some have Blue Flag certification.”
The peak sargassum season ends in October with the arrival of autumn, when the winds shift direction once again.
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Source: sipse
