Tourism invests more than RD$50 million in equipment for removal of sargassum from Dominican beaches

Santo Domingo.- The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, delivered this Thursday machinery for the removal of sargassum and beach cleaning, valued at more than RD 50,000,000 pesos.

In an act held on the beach of Boca Chica, nine trucks were delivered with a value of RD 20,245,500, special sweepers with a cost of RD 20,713,000, and tractors that cost RD 9,408,000.

“What we are delivering is not going to solve the sargassum issue definitively. This is a short-term, palliative measure, to be able to continue cleaning the beaches, a task carried out by the Ministry of Tourism at the national level,” said David Collado.

These teams will be distributed on the beaches of Boca Chica, Juan Dolio, Palenque, and Barahona, to combat sargassum as it is a problem that harms the sand and the environment throughout the Greater Caribbean.

He indicated that no country has a solution to the sargassum problem and that is why palliative measures are being taken, which are not the best or the most environmentally friendly, but they resolve the situation in terms of keeping the beaches clean for the enjoyment of Dominicans and foreigners.

“These tractors are specialized for collecting sargassum and debris and mistreating the ecosystem of our beaches as little as possible. This problem does not only affect the Dominican Republic and we are working to find a solution”, said Minister Collado.

He stated that the Government will not rest until solutions are found and that is why the president of Luis Abinader called on the countries of the region to create a fund and make a joint effort to collect sargassum on the high seas and not on beaches.

Likewise, he informed that the Ministry of Tourism agrees to invest 50 million pesos more, to reach other beaches in the Dominican Republic. He also pointed out that tourism and the benefits of this sector have to permeate the communities to be sustainable over time.

He indicated that initiatives like the one being carried out by the Ministry of Tourism by delivering equipment to clean beaches like Boca Chica are part of the efforts being made to attack algae from the coasts.

The event was attended by the mayor of the municipality of Boca Chica, Fermín Brito; Josefa Castillo, Superintendent of Insurance, and Minoru Matsunaga, General Director of the Tourist Police (POLITUR), as well as the Deputy Ministers of Tourism, Patricia Mejía and Yaneris Then, among other personalities.