What’s Up with the Bay?

Omar Figueroa

And on the matter of the New River pollution…In the Corozal Bay, there are growing concerns about that pollution seeping further north.  Because the tributary empties out into the Corozal Bay, residents and businesses are worried that it will affect their health and livelihoods.  Minister of Environment Omar Figueroa says those concerns are valid but the extent of threat is not yet known. The assessments to be conducted will provide more clarity.

Omar Figueroa, Minister of State, Environment

“They have some legitimate concerns. Essentially, we had this advance eutrophication that happened in the immediate vicinity of Orange Walk Town and the B.S.I facility, so now that the rain has started that will go down the river and go into the Corozal Bay. It is hard to explain fully what all the threats are once it reaches the Bay because the type of studies that we need to understand to look at the sediment, to look at the composition of the water, these studies haven’t really done in the past. We are just finding the resources now to go down and look at the sediment and see what it is that is down there.”