The Municipal Tourist District of Verón in Punta Cana formally requested Miguel Ceara Hatton, head of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, to issue comprehensive directives for the establishment of a designated site to manage the accumulation of Sargassum algae.
The proliferation of these algae along the beaches has forced the hotel industry to collect the algae and deposit it in publicly accessible areas, contributing to additional environmental concerns.
In a written communication, Ramón Ramírez de la Rosa, district director of the council, conveyed that this recurring phenomenon, triggered predominantly by climate change and other ecological factors, has forced hotels to address this issue privately and dispose of the algae in public spaces due to the absence of specific guidelines.
Ramírez emphasized that the Verón community has made a repeated call to the Mayor’s Office to resolve the challenges posed by the presence of floating macroalgae. However, they have been prevented from implementing the proper measures, as the environmental authorities have yet to establish a protocol for the proper disposal of the seaweed.
“We strongly request that the Ministry of the Environment formulate a regulation that establishes the designated destination for the disposal of this type of waste. We believe this step would help mitigate other environmental complications similar to those we currently face,” the statement articulates.