ARCHIVED - Cartagena brings in the big guns to clear algae from its beaches
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
A huge beach rake has begun cleaning Playa Paraíso and Playa de los Alemanes in La Manga this week
In order to speed up the work of clearing algae and biomass from Playa Paraíso and Playa de los Alemanes in La Manga, Cartagena Council has brought in the big guns to carry out a “fast and efficient” beach sweep.
The large beach rake vehicle will spend the next two weeks on beaches along Cartagena coastline, supported by maintenance teams on foot.
“We have once again had to resort to using machines to remove algae and biomass from our beaches. Given the speed at which it is produced, it is impossible to maintain the cleaning of the coastline using exclusively manual means,” explained councillor María Casajús, adding: “Despite dedicating a lot of economic resources which translate into thousands of hours of work, it is still insufficient due to the continuous arrival of algae which proliferates at an ever-increasing rate.”
The raking machine, endorsed by the Scientific Committee of the Mar Menor, is tracked to avoid the wheels causing damage to the coastline and seabed, and has an articulated arm which only penetrates the top layer of sand.
And from November 15, the beach rake will be supported by a team of 17 workers who have been contracted by the Employment and Training Service to help maintain the beaches, parks and gardens.
Meanwhile, the council’s contracting committee is expected to resolve this week the contract for the removal of decaying biomass along Cartagena’s coastline, expected to cost 200,000 euros over a seven-month period.