By Belize Live News Staff: As beaches in San Pedro and Caye Caulker struggle under mounting piles of sargassum, Prime Minister John Briceño says a national emergency declaration is now on the table.
From the Belize watershed to the cayes, the algae invasion has overwhelmed local clean-up efforts, with only two harvesters operating in San Pedro. “It’s not nearly enough,” the Prime Minister admitted in a recent statement.
Briceño noted that while Belize isn’t responsible for the seaweed’s arrival, the country bears the brunt of its impact. “It’s the more developed countries, the climate change and everything. Again, as always, we end up paying that price,” he said.
The Prime Minister confirmed that his administration has been engaged in discussions with the Minister of Tourism, Anthony Mahler, and Minister of the Blue Economy, Andre Perez, about the crisis. He said Cabinet will discuss the matter on Tuesday and explore financing solutions to strengthen the national response.
Tourism operators have called for emergency support as the buildup of sargassum threatens visitor satisfaction and livelihoods along Belize’s eastern coastline.
