Japan donates equipment to help Dominican Republic combat sargassum

Santo Domingo.- The government of Japan donated heavy equipment to the Dominican Republic to strengthen efforts to combat the growing impact of sargassum on the country’s beaches and tourism areas.

The handover ceremony was held at the Ministry of Tourism and led by Minister of the Presidency José Ignacio Paliza and Vice Minister of International Cooperation Carlos Peguero. The donation, provided through Japan’s Non-Reimbursable Financial Cooperation Program, included six dump trucks, five sweepers, and five tractors to support the collection, containment, and management of sargassum along the Dominican coast.

Officials said the equipment will help protect beaches, marine ecosystems, and the tourism sector, one of the country’s main economic drivers. Japan’s Chargé d’Affaires, Tsuda Fumiyo, highlighted the importance of bilateral cooperation in advancing environmental sustainability and institutional strengthening in the Dominican Republic.