Urban Pollution

Pollution is defined as ‘the introduction by man into the environment of substances or energy liable to cause hazards to human health, harm to living resources and ecological systems, damage to structures or amenity, or interference with legitimate uses of the environment,’ ( Holdgate  1979)

Pollution has resulted in cities as a result of human consumption and expansion. It has grown to become an issue of threat to the environment. As a result of people trying to secure a livelihood within the urban city large amounts of pollution have been generated. NASA reports have shown that with urban expansion comes an increase in not only the amount of air pollution within the city but also land, noise and water pollution.  Livelihood needs must be met in ways that do not degrade or destroy the environment of the city; it must be done in a sustainable way.

Whilst once occupying only around two percent of the world’s land surface, cities now contain more than half of the world’s population and generate the majority of the world’s waste and pollution. This gluttony has occurred as a result of increasing urban growth rates in the Global South.

It has been proven that the environmental demands of city dwellers vary enormously between the Global North and Global South.  Global North dwellers typically generate about twice as much waste as those in the Global South but it is mainly within the Global South that you see rampant and uncontrolled pollution. (Hall 1988, 306)

In the city of Port of Spain all forms of pollution are prominent; they are more so evident in East Port of Spain than anywhere else in the city. Issues of land pollution, water quality, smog and noise pollution are endured by residents of the city on a frequent basis. The different forms of media used below will help to educate and inform you about the pollution issues that exist in the city of Port of Spain.

Photo A was taken along Picadilly Street in Port of Spain. The photo shows household waste being dumped along the side of the roadway. It is very distasteful to passers by and users of the areas as well as unhygienic. Photo B shows waste material both household and non household waste being thrown along the side of the Beetham Highway. The garbage seen in the photo has been there for days, residents who use the area are vulnerable to sanitation diseases and illness due to rotting garbage. The smell is extremely horrid. 

All the waste from the entire city and environs are deposited at the Beetham dump. It is one of the largest dumps in Trinidad and its horrid state poses threats to commuters and residents of the city. A lot of people who reside in Beetham gardens make their living from the Beetham dump. The video presented by Marcia Miranda below sheds some light on the operations and deplorable conditions of the Beetham dump. 

                                      

The dump is located to close to the city and the consequences of such actions are the cries of the users of the city on a daily basis. The newspaper article below talks about very recent SMOG problems that affected the entire city of Port of Spain. As fire burned at the Beetham dump the city was filled with smoke and a very offensive smell that resulted in mayhem in city; schools were closed, workers were sent home resulting in an inoperable city. The news paper article in the link below can further enlighten you about the Beetham fire and Smog. 

http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,189928.html

Reference:

Hall, Tim, and Heather Barrett. 1998. Urban geography. London: Routledge.

Holdgate, Martin W. 1979. A perspective of environmental pollution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Robertson , Chris. 2013 .Trinidad Express Newspaper. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/letters/PoS-dump-too-close-to-people-210012521.html (accessed April 6, 2014).