Weekend Edition

stluciatimes, caribbean, caribbeannews, stlucia, saintlucia, stlucianews, saintlucianews, stluciatimesnews, saintluciatimes, stlucianewsonline, saintlucianewsonline, st lucia news online, stlucia news online, loop news, loopnewsbarbados

Subscribe to our St. Lucia Times Newsletter

Get our headlines emailed to you every day.

Government Sets Up Task Force To Tackle Sargassum Invasion

The Saint Lucian government is mobilising resources to combat a worsening sargassum invasion, with a newly established task force and Cabinet set to address solutions. 

As thick mats of seaweed choke coastlines, even in areas previously unaffected, officials warn of significant risks to tourism, health and coastal livelihoods.

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development, Alfred Prospere confirmed the formation of an inter-ministerial task force and the acquisition of cleanup equipment through partnerships with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Japan.

Minister of Agriculture Alfred Prospere.

“We were able to secure some funding through the UNDP to secure some pieces of equipment to assist us with tracing the problem,” he said. “What I know is that some of this equipment, like a small tractor, a dump truck, and I was told also about two boats—those are able to assist us in the problem.”

Cabinet ministers were due to meet this week to review short-term mitigation strategies, including cost assessments for emergency beach cleanups. “We are putting together a costing from [the] Fisheries [Department] and my ministry… and we hope to present something to the government on how we can address the problem in the short term,” Prospere explained. “There must be some action taken to address it.”

The seaweed’s unprecedented spread—now affecting the east, west, and even previously untouched northern coasts—has raised alarms. 

“This is not only a Saint Lucia problem, it is a problem for many parts of the world,” Prospere said. “It is cause for concern because it has implications for our tourism sector. It also has implications on health… the stench has been a major cause of concern for the residents.”

Prospere noted that regional observations, including during a recent trip to St Vincent, confirm the scale of the crisis. 

“I flew to St Vincent two weeks ago, and I saw quite a bit of sargassum out in the ocean,” he recalled. “So this problem is not just a problem that we can go to the church and say we are going to clean the beaches and expect that in the next three months we will not have it.”

While some farmers repurpose the seaweed as fertiliser, Prospere cautioned against unchecked use due to heavy metal contamination. Meanwhile, coastal residents and tourism operators grapple with noxious odours and costly cleanups. 

“What is most concerning to us is the stench,” Prospere said. 

With hotels in the north conducting their own cleanups, the minister acknowledged that “obviously, it definitely would be a serious impact.” 

As Cabinet prepared to deliberate, Prospere stressed urgency: “As a government, we have to be concerned about the people that are concerned. It’s really vital. We cannot allow this to continue without action.”

Any third-party or user posts, comments, replies, and third-party entries published on the St. Lucia Times website (https://stluciatimes.com) in no way convey the thoughts, sentiments or intents of St. Lucia Times, the author of any said article or post, the website, or the business. St. Lucia Times is not responsible or liable for, and does not endorse, any comments or replies posted by users and third parties, and especially the content therein and whether it is accurate. St. Lucia Times reserves the right to remove, screen, edit, or reinstate content posted by third parties on this website or any other online platform owned by St. Lucia Times (this includes the said user posts, comments, replies, and third-party entries) at our sole discretion for any reason or no reason, and without notice to you, or any user. For example, we may remove a comment or reply if we believe it violates any part of the St. Lucia Criminal Code, particularly section 313 which pertains to the offence of Libel. Except as required by law, we have no obligation to retain or provide you with copies of any content you as a user may post, or any other post or reply made by any third-party on this website or any other online platform owned by St. Lucia Times. All third-parties and users agree that this is a public forum, and we do not guarantee any confidentiality with respect to any content you as a user may post, or any other post or reply made by any third-party on this website. Any posts made and information disclosed by you is at your own risk.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

TRENDING

Subscribe to our St. Lucia Times Newsletter

Get our headlines emailed to you every day.

Share via
Send this to a friend