Post :#5: Pollution

Eyesores of the City!

Land pollution is the degradation of Earth's land surfaces often caused by human activities and their misuse of land resources. This occurs when waste is not disposed properly. It is caused by urban and industrial wastes, exploitation of minerals, and improper use of soil by inadequate agricultural practices but Urbanization and industrialization are the major land pollutants. 

Dirty= Ugly= Diseases= No Investors= No Development! :(

Eyesores of the City or “The living sinners on deadly ground.” ― Toba Beta

As seen in the collage above, land pollution is a very familiar site on almost all the streets of Port of Spain, especially the eastern side, where it is generally filled wastes that was improperly disposed of by the residents and street vendors. The vagrants of the city also contribute to the high amounts of pollution as they dig through the garbage and leave it scattered wherever they are. There are several ramifications of such acts which are detrimental to the city’s sustainability. They may include the possibility of many health diseases arising with respect to such improper disposal of trash. Rats the size of cats are seen scavenging through the garbage. Many infectious and communicable diseases such as cholera and hepatitis along with mandy others are common in cities due to the high concentration of people which make it easier for the diseases to spread. The city is very likely to lose financial profits as tourists and other businesses investors may find it very unappealing to reside or invest within because of the high level of unsanitary conditions since consumers may find the environment unsuitable for engaging in shopping, especially among high-income customers. Hall and Barrett (2012, 309), also stated that the generation of poverty in cities is inextricably associated with the generation of environmental degradation. This is probably the reason why so many garbage adorn the streets on the east of Port of Spain since high levels of poverty is an issue in the area.

On a trip to Belmont, a suburban area fringing from the City of Port of Spain, I also noticed several sites of illegal disposal of garbage even though there were signs warning not to. The images below displays unlawful disposal of garbage contributing to the issue of land pollution. 

Improper Waste disposal in Belmont, one of the suburbs of the City.

In Trinidad and Tobago, and especially in the City, large quantities of wastes are generated each day and are dumped anywhere one feels to. This reflects the issue of over consumption, where the ecological footprint is increasing especially since Trinidad is on the way to becoming a developed country. The carrying capacity of the City has already been reached and raw materials especially from the agricultural areas of Trinidad are being brought in the City to be sold to meet the needs of the City's over "population". This phenomenon was thoroughly discussed by Rees in the 1992 Journal article, "Ecological footprints and appropriated carrying capacity: what urban economics leaves out".

Solving the issue of improper disposal of garbage in Port of Spain would require complete participation from the community residents and local state officials. The community must be educated on the importance of disposing garbage in order to prevent health risks within the city. The local state officials must ensure that such areas are cleaned daily by their respective environmental authority corporations. Also, environmental laws should be enforced within the city at a higher level in order to deter people from committing such insensible acts.

Here are the top 12 dirtiest cities of the world!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgRT351aRM8


References

Rees, William E. "Ecological footprints and appropriated carrying capacity: what urban economics leaves out". Environment and Urbanization, 4(2), 121-130. Accessed April 2, 2014.