NO DUMPING

 

In an attempt to reduce pollution and consequently its effects, the government of Trinidad and Tobago has implemented policies and laws against acts which will lead to pollution such as dumping. This of course is a good idea however for there to be successful outcomes, the policies and laws must be enforced to ensure better environmental and health quality as well as to contribute to the overall development of the country’s economy. This idea is supported by this image which depicts a "No dumping" sign yet there is garbage surrounding it.

SMOKING

Smoking is usually seen as just a pass time activity or as a bad habit or vice, regardless of the public knowledge of its health effects. However, what is less talked about if the effect which smoking has on the environmnent. The act of smoking can be either a voluntary or involuntary choice An example of involutiontary smoking can be be as a result of peer pressure. In my opinion I think that smoking may be more prevelent in cities. Cities are considered to be more modern than other areas. Also, because of globalisation and adverstiment smoking can sometimes be seen as something fun to do or something to do to fit. Cities are the first to adapt certain practices from the developed countries and as such to me, it seems as though it is more prevelent there.

VISUAL POLLUTION

Visual polltuion refers to the impacts of pollution that impair one's ability to enjoy a vista or view by altering the natural environment. Billboards is one such form of visual pollution. An overcrowding of an area causes visual pollution.

Adverstiment of one of the factors for good competition. One of the main and oldest ways of advertising is through the use of billboards. Billboards are effective to a point but can also be major eye sores. As cities expand and the amount and type of goods and services increase so too do competition rates. As such many billboards are seen in and around cities displaying different goods available in the city as well as other location in the country.

INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION

“The good and the bad”

Cities are home to several industries in many countries around the world. Even though industries provide goods, services and jobs, they also have adverse effects on the environment and health as they are major sources of pollution. Industrial activities results in the emission of toxic chemicals, radioactive material as well as hazardous and non-hazardous waste which are all harmful to the environment.

In my opinion, I believe that industries are somewhat beneficial to countries especially those that are locally or state owned. Apart from providing goods, services and jobs, industries (mainly those locally or state owned) aid in the contribution to monetary resources of a country. Additionally, industries help minimize import and maximize export on certain goods. It must be noted however, that even though industries do have their benefits, they also come with negative effects as mentioned previously. For example, in Trinidad there are several industries which are located in cities such as Port of Spain. Within Port of Spain there are different sectors including residential sectors. As such the impact of industrial activities poses threats to the health to those who live in and around the city. Hence, in order for a country like Trinidad to develop and maintain these industries, care must be taken to minimize or alleviate the negative impacts of industrial activities.

VEHICLE EXHAUST

Vehicle use varies in cities around the world and has environmental, social, economic and health impacts. These emissions occur while vehicles are in motion. They emit various gases into the environment and are of major concern to many because it has many adverse effects. For example, vehicle exhaust can lead to global warming through the emissions of carbon dioxide into the environment. Additionally other pollutants from vehicle emission can result in health hazards when these pollutants get into contact with waterways.In my opinion, the number of cars on the road in Trinidad is relatively high. This therefore leads to an increase in the levels of pollution. Due to urbanization, the resulting numbers of vehicles which enter and exit the cities are much greater than anywhere else in the country. The high concentrations of vehicles in cities lead to high levels of traffic congestion. As such there is a concentration of hazardous emissions in cities which can lead to worse impacts there than in other parts of a country.

ROADSIDE GARBAGE

“ A sight for sore eyes”

  

Above is the site of land pollution on the roadside in Port of Spain. Within a residential area in the capital city of Trinidad, is this unsightly pile of garbage. Not only is this a sore to the eyes but it also has the potential to have many hazardous effects on both the health and the environment among other factors which may not be visible to the naked eye. Waste if not attended to and properly disposed of can lead to contamination of the environment. One such way of further contaminating the environment is through the process of spreading pollution. This occurs when one type of pollution leads to another type of pollution. The image above depicts land pollution however this can lead to water pollution for example if the waste gets into contact with waterways such as rivers and drains. If this does occur then the waterways would become contaminated and through the process of evaporation and condensation, this contaminated water will fall back into the environment as acid rain continuing the cycle of pollution.

Using the Burgess concentric model 1924, this area would be considered to be the area of low-class residential housing where the poorest classes reside. Such areas are capable of housing large numbers of persons as these houses are extremely close to each other with several persons per household. Apart from this is the facts that as cities continue to grow so too do the population in and around it. Cities tend to draw people to it because of the many services which are available. What should be noted also is that as cities grow and population increases so too do the rate of overall consumption of the persons within the area resulting in an increase in waste. As such land pollution through excessive waste can be linked to the process of urbanization.

DEFORESTATION

 “Life lost never to be returned”

 



Deforestation is a type of land pollution that occurs as a result of the removal of trees without planting other trees to replace them. The image above illustrates deforestation the hills of Champ Fleur. The hills of Champ Fleur were once completely covered by luscious green trees which provided breath-taking scenery. However, today these luscious green trees are being cut down and replaced by man-made infrastructure such as the buildings seen in the image above.

Deforestation is of major concern because it has many adverse effects. Some of which include soil erosion whereby the land becomes vulnerable to weathering agents such as water and wind resulting in the loss of productivity of the land. Deforestation also leads to the destruction of animal habitats and in turn the loss of life of these animals since forested areas such as the Champ Fleur hills provides not only a place for these animals to live but also provides them with food. Greenhouse effects and global warming also results from deforestation. Since trees along with oceans are the main recycling units of carbon dioxide into oxygen, it means that with the removal of trees from the environment there would be a greater saturation of carbon dioxide on the earth. This concentration of carbon dioxide acts as a blanket preventing long wave radiation from returning into the atmosphere leading to greenhouse effects and consequently global warming when this radiation is converted into heat.

Deforestation can be seen in many areas in Trinidad but is seen to a wider extent in places which are considered to be urban or suburban such as Champ Fleur. The Ullman and Harris model 1945 can be applied to Trinidad as there are multiple nuclei throughout the country. According to the Ullman and Harris model 1945, each nucleus acts as a growth point and in time there will be an outward growth. Within Champ Fleur alone there are many industries such as the Carib brewery, Unilever Limited and the West Indies Tobacco Company. Also located within this area is the Mount Hope General Hospital. As such populations tend to develop around these sectors of the economy and as the population continues to grow there becomes an ever increasing need for land for activities such as commercial uses as well as residential uses. But because there is limited land available people now seek areas which would have once been considered unusable because of factors such as terrain to construct buildings and settle. As such it can be said that there is a relationship between deforestation and urbanization.

BURNING GARBAGE

“Why not recycle or use landfills?”

With the exquisite scenery of the Northern range just a few meters away and the usual peace and quiet of this community is the disturbing sight of garbage being burnt. This was the sight in the rural community of Valencia, located to the east of Trinidad.

Burning garbage results in air pollution and the effects of burning are devastating to the environment and to health. When garbage is burnt it releases hazardous chemicals such as dioxins, benzopyrene (BAP) and other polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Since smoke stays low when burnt without using incinerators, these chemicals remain in the atmosphere and can be easily inhaled. The burning of garbage can lead to chronic diseases such as cancer, bronchitis and emphysema. Other symptoms include nausea, fatigue and dizziness.

In many rural areas, burning garbage is viewed a normal method of disposing waste. It is of my opinion that one of the reasons to explain this is that fact the issues such as waste disposal is of greater concern in urban areas simply because it occurs on a larger scale. As such, more time, money and technology is spent in urban areas on disposing waste and educating the public in these areas about the effects of burning garbage. In many rural areas in Trinidad as well as other countries around the world, rural areas are sometime inaccessible, or somewhat difficult to access. In most cases rural areas are neglected in favor of developing the urban areas, maintaining the physical structure of these areas and dealing with the problems that occur there instead of consulting issues such as the need for proper infrastructure in rural areas such as proper roads. As a result of the infrequent service of waste disposal units to rural areas people in these communities take it upon themselves to dispose of their waste. One such way of doing this is by burning, an activity which is done and in most cases the effects of such activity is unknown because of lack of knowledge.

ABANDONED SPACES

“It’s susceptibility to dumping”

In cities there are different urban structures and forms which exist. Building density is high and so too is the competition for space. However, on occasion you may come across empty spaces which, in some cases may have been abandoned. In such cases these empty spaces, if not attended too or maintained may become an area susceptible to dumping. This is illustrated in the image above. This type of pollution, as with any other type of pollution has negative effects on the environment and health. It may lead to air-borne diseases as well as diseases formed as a result of contamination of water supply.

To me, the problem of pollution (e.g. land pollution through dumping of garbage) is totally unacceptable. It is frustrating to see a country which is on its way to achieving development be hindered by factors such as pollution which to me can be managed. The image above depicts dumping in the capital city of Trinidad. Visuals are the first evidence of development of cities. Development as well as urbanization is recognized through factors such as high building and population densities, commercial activities, as well as high-rise buildings among other factors. These are all factors which are present in the city of Port of Spain. One high-rise can be seen in this image; therefore it shows that Trinidad is to some extent demonstrating progress towards development. However, the environment must not be neglected to facilitate those factors which may seem more important. Pollution is a major problem in most cities and must therefore be addressed.

GARBAGE IN WATERWAYS

“Polluting the natural environment”

 

Whether the garbage/waste in waterways is deliberate or not, its effects are detrimental to the environment and health. This type of water pollution has been documented to have many adverse effects on the environment, animal and plant life. When garbage/waste gets into contact with waterways the water becomes contaminated and can enter the human food chain through crops and livestock leading to health implications. Additionally it may lead to the death of various marine organisms. Contamination of waterways through garbage/waste has the potential to continue the cycle of pollution through evaporation and condensation.

In my opinion, I believe that pollution of this sort can be linked to factors such as governance whereby government deliberately or unconsciously neglect to properly deal with such matters. Deliberate dumping of garbage/waste may result due to factors such as lack of enforcement of laws, lack of access to or irregularity of waste disposal units, lack of knowledge on the consequences of water pollution and poor drainage.

 Also, I believe that the government of Trinidad and Tobago should place stronger penalties to prevent dumping. This image was taken a few meters away from a large dump site however people are still disposing of their garbage/waste in waterways. Hence it shows that there is indeed a need for stronger penalties to prevent dumping. The fact is that as cities grow so too do its population. In turn, the rate of consumption increases and consequences, the amount of waste. Hence in order to maintain the physical beauty of cities and to alleviate the effects of pollution, governments must see it fit and deal with such problems.