REFLECTION:

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oing this blog gave us a great insight into the vast level or urban pollution within the country’s capital as well as along the east west corridor. Almost all the different types of urban pollution were examined running from unpleasant buildings all the way up to noise pollution. These blogs helped us understand the importance of keeping our space clean as we the people of this country have to live our everyday live in this same space. Urban Pollution in Trinidad and Tobago managed by Brett Lucas and Jameel Phillip posted a blog entitled “Little City Big Noise”, this gave a wider insight to noise pollution within urban spaces. Little city big noise explained the mechanics of the building structures of the clubs that allow noise to escape. This we thought was very valuable and knowledgeable as it shows the difference between the more advanced and less advanced buildings as well as it shows that clubs could function within urban spaces and reduce the level of noise. Another blog which related to ours was “organic waste disposal in Port of Spain” posted by POS waste: viewing the city through its waste which is managed by Safiiyah Hosein and Jesse Francis. This blog exaggerated the impact of dumping solid waste within the capital, this reiterates the fact made in our blogs that the dumping of solid wastes is a eyesore and is unpleasant both to commuters passing through the capital as well as residents within. “liquid Pollution and waste disposal’ also posted by POS Waste: viewing the city through its waste is another interesting post, this is because no one seemed to investigate the fact of the stench the capital has. That blog gave great insight into the stench as well as that there is no legislation regarding the dumping of liquid waste into the drains of the capital. All the blogs posted were very educating and portrayed very valuable information as well as they revealed interesting things about our country Trinidad and Tobago.

References:

1.      Urban Pollution in Trinidad and Tobago: “Little City Big Noise” , April 8^th 2015

http://pollutett.blogspot.com/2015/04/little-city-big-noise.html

1.      POS waste: viewing the city through its waste: “organic waste disposal in Port of Spain”, April 10^th, 2015.

http://poswaste.blogspot.com/2015/02/organic-waste-disposal-in-port-of-spain.html

1.      POS waste: viewing the city through its waste: “liquid Pollution and waste disposal’, April 9^th, 2015.

http://poswaste.blogspot.com/2015/04/liquid-waste.html

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 would like to divert a bit from the air, land and water pollution and mention an issue I think worthy of recognition in our generation. Within Port of Spain there are many old dilapidated buildings existing with what we call graffiti, or writing on the walls of the buildings. These present an eyesore for tourist and locals alike because it shows signs of underdevelopment and “ghetto-ism”. Graffiti is an offence because it is defacing of property and holds a penalty. In some regions of the world, London for instance it is deemed anti social behavior. In some places on the other hand it is considered contemporary art and encouraged as a way to get the youth population to stay away from criminal activity.

            In Trinidad however, it is not encouraged as it is seen as vagabond behavior and can lead to prosecution. As one passes along the Beetham area, the area is “decorated” or defaced with graffiti. As one walks along Nelson Street in Port of Spain, it is also observed on the walls of the building which appear in a severely run down state. In a city like Port of Spain, which is considered by some theorists to be post industrial, graffiti is like urban artwork. This urban artwork can be seen throughout Port of Spain and other cities in Trinidad.

This photo was previously used in another entry however it was
the only one that I have that showed graffiti. If you look to the far right
of the picture you can the writing on the wall

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ontinuing along, another unsightly scene in Port of Spain is vagrants and homeless street people. This just like a bottle strewn along the street is unpleasant and unsightly especially for a capital country. Vagrancy and homelessness in Trinidad is reportedly increasing at alarming rates and the government has vowed to invest in social development to remedy the problem. The issue of human pollution through vagrancy and homeless individuals wandering the street is one that needs a more sensitive approach because at times these people would cause a nuisance to everyday persons on the move.  These pictures below show vagrancy and homelessness in and around our nation’s capital and how unattractive it can look.

 

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any people when they hear urban pollution or pollution on the whole, they think about just garbage and unpleasant sites. We often surpass other types apart from the garbage which are as dangerous as the common ones. Noise pollution is one that is often overlooked, is very unpleasant to both humans and animals, noise is something that could be tolerated at a certain amount and level, but when it exceeds this threshold it becomes a nuisance to living thing. Most Trinbagonians have the party spirit which is in or culture, it is something we are proud, this urge to party gave rise to many nightclubs, bars and other famous destinations in Trinidad and Tobago. These bars and nightclubs play a lot of loud music to satisfy the patrons, this pleases the partygoers but to the surrounding population non partygoers as well as wildlife this is noise. Other than the clubs, there is another source of noise pollution that is of major concern that is noise from automobiles. Apart from the noise of the engine, there is a trend of inputting high wattage systems into cars, these systems play music way over the decibel limit set by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) of Trinidad and Tobago. These cars compared to the nightclubs are more dangerous as they are mobile and can move to different places; this means they can pollute the atmosphere with noise at any random area, all depending on the driver. Other than being a party nation, we are known for our natural environmental beauty, many tourist come her to get away from their busy city life, although some of them may like the loud music and noise other may not and this can affect their choice to return to our beautiful island. This would affect many locals as they own many small businesses that depend on tourists to survive.  The noise also affects the local residents, a person trying to get a good night rest after work may be disturbed, a child studying for an exam wouldn’t be able to concentrate and the ones affected the most is the elderly, the loud music from these cars can cause an elderly person to get sick, something which I’ve witnessed. Wildlife is also affected as they have increased senses compared to humans and the noise affects them drastically, this would cause them to migrate out of the area which would be a great loss as these animals is always a great sight.

TZAR night club, one of the many nightclubs in Trinidad and Tobago located in Woodbrook. This nightclub doesn’t produce much noise pollution as some of the others as it has insulated walls which reduces the amount of noise, however other clubs which are old, refurbished buildings don’t have this insulation and create a lot of noise.

Nightclub on Ariapita Avenue, Port of Spain

This is just of the many vehicles that contain a high wattage audio system, the owners and fans see it as something awesome whilst others just see it as plain old noise. These vehicles can travel to anywhere, especially to beaches and rivers where there is a vast amount of wildlife that are disturbed by the loud noise. The picture below shows a van containing music which can do a great deal of disturbing the peace 

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ontinuing from the previous entry on water pollution in Port of Spain and environs, more elucidation is necessary for such a sensitive topic. The focus of the previous entry was on Sea Lots and residents of the community polluting the area because of improper waste disposal, and brief mention was made to the industries in east Port of Spain; this entry zooms in further into industrial runoff and water pollution currently occurring in the area.

Based on a document released by the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), there are a number of industrial facilities operating in east Port of Spain including Berger Paints, Trinidad Juice Company Limited and National Petroleum Marketing Company Limited, which release waste material into the drains, Black River and East Dry River. The waste eventually makes its way into the Caroni Swamp and the neighboring coastal waters. This contributes to the foul smell that pervades Port of Spain from time to time. The EMA also reported high levels of degraded coastal and surfaces waters in the areas surrounding.

The EMA has now resorted to taking more stringent action regarding the matter and now has begun issuing water pollution permits to facilities operating in east Port of Spain including Vehicle Management Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago and House of Angostura Limited. This permit allows industries only a certain level and type of waste into the waterways. This measure is expected to control the toxicity level and reduce the amount of water pollutants entering the environment and bring relief to the affected communities. The document referred to in this entry is here: http://www.ema.co.tt/docs/Articles/Permits.pdf. 

The researchers weren't able to collect a picture regarding this entry however we were able to source one from online. This picture was taken by Suresh Cholai who is a reporter.

Residents stand behind mounds of garbage in Sea Lots.
this amount of garbage would definitely find its way into waterways .

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ort of Spain is located on the North Western coast the island and neighbors the Gulf of Paria. Before one enters the city, there is a tiny low income community known as Sea Lots (this community was mentioned in a previous post). Sea lots is a slum area that can be paralleled to other areas of the world such as “Favelas” in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

            Slum areas as seen in India on the National Geographic Channel, significantly resembles that of Sea Lots and the residents face similar issues. For one sanitation is poor and this can be attributed to the inaccessibility to clean drinking water. Many are forced to rely on rainwater which can cause illnesses or truck borne water which can be irregular. As Sea Lots is located in such close proximity to the sea, many a time solid waste matter from the community unavoidably or intentionally escapes and enters the sea. Debris and garbage can be seen floating in the area neighboring the community. This is quite unpleasant since Trinidad is dependent on tourism. Additionally as one passes the area, there is a foul odor emanating. One can only assume what may be the cause or origins of the scent. The nearby river running through Sea Lots is also lined with garbage and empty bottles floating on the surface which is a typical eyesore for onlookers and the general public and terribly bad for business. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/EMA_looks_into_pollution_in_East_Port_of_Spain-115271939.html

            East Port of Spain where Sea Lots is located is also the home to a number of light manufacturing factories that constantly produce waste material. According to the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), these factories have caused water pollution in the vicinity as their waste could have possibly gotten in the water ways and contaminated them.  

Waste in an area in the vicinity of Sea Lots

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ities contribute largely to environmental problems such as pollution and depletion of resources. These problems generated are photochemical smog, burning of garbage, contamination of soil and water ways as well as widespread littering. A lot of people living in the cities are not aware of the natural world; they have even been referred to as a new species “homo urbanus”. Trinidad as well as other developing countries needs to balance development and sustainability, to do this they have to follow the three R’s: reduce. Reuse and recycle. This blog highlights the problems of urban pollution in Trinidad, walking anywhere in Trinidad you must see garbage in a drain. These sites are just not an eye sore but pose a threat to community as well as wildlife. There are many that cherish the space they live in an try to clean up and dispose of the garbage properly but as in every population there are the reckless ones that contributes to the problem. Countless times I’ve seen people throw garbage out of their vehicles, dump garbage in street corners although there is a bin a few feet away. People from the southlands of Trinidad explain that the lifestyle of dumping garbage in the streets is mainly a ‘north people’ way, many locals say they are fed up of pollution. The reason being that Trinidad economy is partly dependent on tourism and these locals depend on tourists to make a living. Urban pollution would deter tourists from coming to the country therefore hampering these locals source of income. In conclusion polluting is not a proper practice and if we want to achieve developed country status we need to get rid of these pre historic ways and preserve and keep the space we live in clean.

Eutrophication in a drain along the priority bus route, this is caused from effluent runoff as well as untreated sewage released into the drain. This is a complete eyesore and any person whether it be a tourist or local would be disgusted when they see this.

A dirty drain located in our capital city.

This is another drain along the priority bus route, this one is filled with garbage, this causes the back up of water causing mosquitos which causes diseases such as dengue and chick V. apart from the diseases theses blocked drains would cause flooding as the water wouldn’t be able to flow easily, it is also an eyesore to everyone. The cleaning of these drains are the responsibilities of the municipal corporations but we as humans and living in this place must keep it clean. As the saying goes, “never poop where you eat”, that saying is plausible in this context as we dirty the same country where we live.

Drain along the Priority Bus Route just outside of the city.

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s seen in the previous entry, air pollution is of paramount significance and so remains the topic of exploration and discussion in this entry. Air pollution has many origins and the previous blog focused on emissions from vehicular exhaust and the development of an urban heat island. This blog zooms in on another serious and very pressing issue affecting cities, which is smog.

            Smog by definition is a form of air pollution originally named for the mixture of fog and smoke in the air, usually found in and around cities. It takes the appearance of a dark smoke like cloud hovering over. It is a problem in a number of cities because it is harmful to human health as it can cause eye and nose irritation. The presence of smog can also inflame breathing passages, decreasing the lungs working capacity, making coughing and wheezing more prevalent.

            In Trinidad, the landfill lies right on the outskirts of Port of Spain, and a large portion of the country’s waste is brought here for disposal. There was an incidence of fires being set inside of the landfill which were ablaze and uncontrollable for days, so much so that it had to be closed. This fire triggered a catastrophic chain of events where clouds of thick smog blew into Port of Spain, enveloping the area. Schools and business were forced to close on advice given from the Environmental Management Authority (EMA). EMA test conducted revealed that toxicity levels were 13 times higher than what was considered safe.

             This was the extent of pollution and health hazard present and persons were being exposed to in a small nation. Smog affects many of the world’s cities and is highly encouraged by factories spewing out harmful gases into the atmosphere and vehicular emissions. Smog cans stay for extended periods over densely populated areas and geologic basins encircled by hills or mountains. I wasn’t able to take an actual picture of the smog or the fire that raged through the landfill but, I was able to source a picture from online http://www.newsday.co.tt/day/1,39074.html, and the article published in the Trinidad and Tobago Express newspaper: http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,189928.html.

This image shows a contributor to the Port of Spain smog, the
cloudy look represents the fumes being spewed by vehicles that
contribute to smog.

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urther exploring our capital, Port of Spain, it was a clear observation that traffic is a major concern for the city. In some areas, traffic is at a standstill as commuters try to weave their way in all directions through the narrow street. The scene is quite chaotic and disorganized as some commuters may openly express their annoyances however these are not the problems being considered. The capital of a country provides all services needed for the population and as a result, vast numbers of vehicles flock to Port of Spain on a daily basis to carry out their activities.

The extent of cars coming in to Port of Spain, as mentioned before has resulted in large traffic pile ups. Consequently a chain reaction occurs, where vehicles in standstill jams spew pollutants into the surrounding atmosphere.  These pollutants cause a number of other problems, ranging from health infections in humans such as bronchitis to other critical illnesses. Furthermore when these gases combine with rain water, Carbonic acid is formed. This is a dilute acid that can act on buildings by eroding it and can damage vegetation.

Additionally, another phenomena originating from urban areas is the urban heat island. The urban heat island is the variation of temperature in metropolitan areas: the city area is significantly warmer than its surroundings and this could be characteristic of the high number of automobile presence. For this particular happening, one online source discovered that in Trinidad, urbanization has little effect on defining the temperature changes. However this urban heat island exists in many other city areas of the world (New York City being the most suitable). Air pollution was positively identified as existent and continuous in Port of Spain.

Traffic pile up into the capital, Port of Spain.

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ontinuing from a previous post, pollution is the biggest disadvantage of cities and one of its saddest realities. Pollution is a result of various contributing factors and during the course would be explored. One form of pollution is a result of informal urban settlements in and around the city, for instance a slum area or a squatter settlement. Major countries of the world face the problem of slums developing right outside their cities, making it some of the most unattractive sights. Slum areas are characterized by low income housing, no access to infrastructure and poor housing quality.

Our city of Port of Spain is no stranger to squatters. As a matter of fact, right outside of the city is a squatter settlement community called Sea Lots. This area is characterized by a lot of vagrancy, low income households and graffiti “decorating” the walls. This squatter settlement is a problem, not only because it is unsightly and not a characteristic of first world status, but the presence of squatters, causes much deeper problems.

Squatters have the basic sanitation issues which transforms into pollution. They lack the basic needs like a clean water supply. Improper disposal of waste, results in pollution of the surrounding areas and many times it escapes into the neighboring sea. This is the origins of water pollution in Port of Spain. Many a time one passes and solid waste matter is visible on the sea line, close to the Sea Lot area. It is unpleasant. Throughout the community, drains are noticeably overflowing with dirty water, and litter is strewn throughout the street. This shows a positive correlation between a low income slum area and low sanitation rates.

Vagrant walking along Sea Lots

Land Pollution

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his blog focuses on pollution in urban areas in its many forms- land, air and water just to name a few. Urban pollution is a phenomenon that cities across the world encounter. In this blog we focus on urban pollution in our capital city Port of Spain.

The picture below shows the irresponsible dumping of debris onto the roadside of Port of Spain. This is a classic example of land pollution. Not a very attractive sight for a city which is frequented by tourist and locals and which is the site of many international and governmental activities. Furthermore this type of debris would gradually make its way into the neighboring river and cause blockages thereby resulting in flooding. The debris can also act as a habitat for disease borne pests such as rats and cockroaches, which are very unhealthy for residents of the city.

Evidently Port of Spain needs more stringent laws with regard to disposal of waste matter and more frequent sanitation.