City Officials Scramble for Plan as Sargassum Builds Along Coastline

The sargassum problem is no longer just a headache for the islands. The foul-smelling seaweed is now piling up along the Belize City coastline, bringing the stench, the mess, and the economic worry right to the city’s doorstep. Residents and business owners say the buildup is already affecting daily life and could keep customers away if it gets worse. City officials say they are working with national authorities on a plan to manage the invasion, but for many along the coast, the problem is already hard to ignore. Tonight, News Five’s Britney Gordon looks at how sargassum has become a growing concern far beyond the tourist hotspots.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

“What you’re seeing is ugly but it also stinks, And while you might be used to seeing it in places like San Pedro and Caye Caulker, now it’s in Belize city and residents and businesses aren’t happy about it.”

 

With sargassum now reaching Belize City’s shoreline, businesses are bracing for the fallout. At Golden Bay Belize Hotel, known for its rooftop sea view, Acting General Manager Samantha Pagoada says the hotel may team up with nearby businesses to start cleanup efforts before the problem drives customers away.

 

Samantha Pagoada, Acting General Manager, Golden Bay Belize Hotel

“For us, it’s the look because our view is it’s what our guests enjoy, right? So the smell, not really, not as yet. Maybe if it close, if it comes closer might be affecting us, but right now it’s definitely the look.”

 

Britney Gordon

“And have you guys contacted maybe city council or the Ministry of Blue Economy or anyone on the Sargassum Task Force to ask them will there be anything done about this?”

 

Samantha Pagoada

“We are definitely considering that, and we are willing to partner with anyone to do clean-ups whatever is it, but something needs to be done quickly. That’s what I believe.”

 

Moe’s Pizza sits right on the shoreline, and employees say the sargassum has made it unpleasant for both workers and customers since it washed up. Currently, the government has allocated resources and funds to businesses across the country heavily impacted sargassum. Dion Parham, an employee, says they hope that government will step in to assist with the cleanup efforts now that the Belize City is also impacted.

 

Dion Parham, Deliveryman, Moe’s Pizza

“The smell. I don’t know how the customers are doing, but I don’t think that it’s a right place for the customer to be sitting to be inhaling that smell. I think it will be chasing customers if, like the tourists, that the tourists come and they smell this, they won’t wanna sit outside and eat.”

 

Britney Gordon

“And how have the employees been dealing with it?”

 

Dion Parham

“I think it’s pretty bad for them, because the smell is very terrible. It’s not nice to inhale whatsoever. As you walk in the building, before you even step out here, you’ll be smelling that scent. “

 

And it’s not just the coast that’s affected; residents have already begun to see sargassum in canals across the city. Mayor Bernard Wagner explains that the council is not taking the issue lightly and is already working on a plan to mitigate the invasion.

 

Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City

“When I saw it yesterday, I urgently called my key directors and managers in respect to a city emergency, our CEMO team, and the coordinator there, Ms. Melanie Dawson. And we met this morning to discuss how we will address the state of sargassum in Belize City given the level that it is. And I wanted them to consider it as a city emergency. And while we always look at hurricanes, floods, tsunamis we still have to be able to look at the new phenomenon which is sargassum.”

 

Wagner says City Hall is still forming its sargassum response, but he has already reached out to the Department of the Environment and other agencies on the national task force to tackle the growing problem. Britney Gordon for News Five.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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