Conclusion and Reflection

 " The more populous the city the greater its 'ecological footprint' that is the land area and natural resource capital on which the city draws to sustain its population and population structure" (Pacione,2009, 556)

From the 10 blogs posted,  I have discussed several aspects of environmental issues that have been created due to development. This has been created due to heavy demand for renewable resources by cities. Due to increasing wealth of nations and their tendencies to want to become more developed, resources are being consumed faster than they are being replenished with little to no regard for the environmental impact of their actions. As a result these 10 blog post aimed at projecting the illusions of a paradise that development portrays when truth and in fact it is the environment that pays the consequences of mankind's actions.

As this was a class assignment where each person chose to discuss any theme that exist within an urban environment, I found that several of my colleagues shared similar views as I did.

In the blog on Urban Livelihood (Shanaz Khan) I found several of her post related to me. This was interesting because when I think about the urban livelihood, I think about the positive aspects of the city in terms of its services. However the way in which Shanaz integrated the human and environmental aspects of  the urban center was appropriate because the pollution which varies from land, noise, water and air is as a result to human consumption and expansion as she stated in her blog post "Urban Pollution". What I gathered from her relates to my own belief which is, for a country to be sustainable livelihood needs must be met in ways that do not degrade the environment. She also touched on the differences in pollution levels between the global North and South. What this shows is developed countries are practicing unsustainable planning and as a result developing countries who are trying to become developed look up to these standards of the Global North and so it can be seen that history repeats and the degrading cycle continues as the Global South also adopts these unsustainable practices and face worst off consequences.

In Clea Ragbir's blog on Urban Pollution, even though we had the same theme our approach to addressing it and discussing its effects were different. One of her blog's that stood out to me was "Preserving our Capital City by Decentralization". In this post I like the way she gave a background history on what makes the urban city important. It was a very structured transition from the positive features that the city incorporates and then it enters into the severe consequences to the environment.  This was  due to the concentration of people in the area and their lifestyles exploiting the city. In this post she proposed the clever idea of using decentralization to help save the environment. By doing so that is spreading out the use of land not only just to the urban center, the overcrowding that accompanies these areas as well as the exploitation of resources would be reduced. This gives way to sustainable practices as resources are not being depreciated faster than they are being replenished. In my opinion, further decentralization can provide a change. This was quite informative and it is definitely a good read.

Lastly, in the blog Urbanization an Environmental Menace by Faheem Mohammed, his blog post on "Selling Degradation" related to my discussion on the fact that people generally fulfill their own needs and wants without care of the consequences it may have. This post relates to my own post of "Reclaimed Land and Eco-system Destruction" because a large area of mangrove which provides habitats for many species were destroyed in the name of development. These commercial buildings and the services they provide are only concern with their economic gains and they pay no mind to the effects on the environment that their construction caused. Faheem went on further to explain that even the products being sold came about due to degradation and some even contribute to environmental pollution. Even though this post condensed a lot of information, the quality of information was in fact correct and it is true that commerce encourages the over-consumption of resources.

This blogging experience over the past few weeks has been very educational for myself and I hope for others as well. Urban environmental pollution is a ongoing problem seen in the world today, and future planning and individual change has to happen in order for cities to become close to achieving a level of sustainability.

Thank You for Sharing this experience with me.
Terry-Ann Arjoon

Reference:

Michael Pacione. 2009. Urban Geography: A Global Perspective Third edition. London and New York: Routeledge.

Unsustainable Land Use

Waste Management seen at Trincity Industrial Estate

" Waste Management  is the generation, prevention, characterization, monitoring, treatment, handling, reuse and residual disposition of solid wastes. This waste material is produced due to human activity and it requires management because if not reduced, there can be irreversible threats that can be detrimental to both human health and the environment."(Cossu, n.d)

The picture above illustrates an area that appears to be a dump but however this area of land is found amongst the well established businesses found within the Trincity Industrial Estate. Just to name a few there are large warehouse shopping centers such as Super Quality Grocery, Nm Ghany Ltd and IAM & Company Ltd. Yes it is an industrial site but how sustainable is this practice by these companies. 

Behind the fence , one can see mountainous piles of plastic and cardboard boxes taking up this land space. For an area with such developmental status, having a site like this is distasteful  and can be noted as being a waste of space. It is certain that this area compiled with so much rubbish is as a result of owners because the fencing around the area gives the assumption that this land is privatized. So therefore there is the privatization of an open space being used for private dumping. Why have any of these company owners or even the owner of the land instead of using this space as a dump, used this land to create a green space?

Not all land has to be used for commercial use which encourages economic gains. However this poor use of space surely provides an insight into the level of respect large companies such as these has for the environment. It is seen that when a country as a whole is trying to reach a level of sustaining its environment, areas such as these shows the reality which suggest that man is going to serve in his own best interest hence land use is unsustainable.

Another example of this can be seen in Port of Spain around the Queen's Park Savannah,where I have noticed a building that has been abandoned for a long period of time.

Abandoned building seen around Queens Park Savannah

With the abandonment of this building, and due to it becoming dilapidated over a period of time, it may or may have already become home to many rodents and may be associated with many health risks. By these spaces being left to exist, this is an unsustainable practice therefore by removing these areas and regenerating green spaces and creating an eco-system, positive changes into the environment can occur. All it takes is one person to make a change and spread the word in order for people to work together and provide a sustainable environment,  that is not being degraded. As such people need to be educated on practices that can encourage the sustainable use of land. "There should also be the effective environmental management required for markets and policy decisions so that it takes into consideration the limited bio-capacity of the planet instead of people consuming more than they need " (Potts, 2006)

Listen to what the UNEP had to say about Unsustainable Land Use here

Reference:

Jason Potts. “Global Commodity Chain Sustainability Analysis: An analytic framework for assessing ecological impacts of commodity supply chains and appropriate policy responses.” IISD (International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2006.

<http://www.iisd.org/pdf/2007/global_commodity_chain.pdf>

Raffaello Cossu. "Waste Management". N.p:n.d <http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0956053X14000269/1-s2.0-S0956053X14000269-main.pdf?_tid=47084716-c1ed-11e3-bc7d-00000aab0f26&acdnat=1397271239_3bc73f00eaf7ff1b1296db2252dcbcb9>

Land Pollution

 St.Augustine Land Pollution

Yet another major problem that plagues the busy streets of the East-West Corridor, is poor solid-waste disposal. Yes. The glistening sea of glass and plastic bottles litter between overflowing barrels and garbage bags, dumped on unoccupied lots of land and street corners. Not to mention, old appliances, furniture and dirty mattresses simply tossed aside on a corner as if one day, they will simply vanish. 

Would you believe that this picture was taken on the Eastern Main Road St. Augustine, obliquely opposite Scotia Bank. If you observe this area, the surrounding buildings are businesses. So where did this waste come from? The only answer is, us. It came from the very own people who inhabit the Earth, a place they call home. These appliances, did not just appear, they had to be physically moved and dumped there. 

Of course, its not new to see people throwing bottles, boxes and plastic bags through car windows while driving down the highway or in traffic congested streets. Its considered to be a minor littering offense with no apparent consequence. Or is it really?

Belmont Land Pollution

On a field-trip to Belmont, while walking along the streets I noticed a "No Dumping" sign which also stated that dumpers will be fined $1000 or face a six month imprisonment. To my surprise, the sign was surrounded with  garbage. How ironic, isn't it?

The unauthorized dumping of garbage on state and private property has become rampant in the past few years.Even though there are sanitation services in place for the everyday removal of waste, there is still significant waste needed to be disposed of as "most of the solid waste generated is left to accumulate on wasteland and in the streets to pose a serious human-induced environmental hazard" (Pacione, 2009: 550)  

Consequently, it has highlighted a need for more defined solid waste disposal methods and stricter littering and dumping laws. As such, more garbage disposal bins should be placed in neighborhoods and also each individual should practice the three "R's" : Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Maybe if we all try to abide by the rules, we can become sustainable after all. Read more on the 3 R's

Reference:

Michael Pacione. 2009. Urban Geography: A Global Perspective Third edition. London and New York: Routeledge.

Land Reclaimation and Ecosystem Destruction

 

South Quay or City Gate

The entire skyline of Port of Spain as many of you may or may not know, was once coast. This land and some of the buildings seen along this area were built on reclaimed land. Reclaimed land just refers to a process in which there is creation of land by in filling with sediment on an ocean, river or lake. Several of our cities main destinations will be discussed here. Firstly, the South Quay also know as City Gate , the cities main transportation hub was constructed on reclaimed land. As many of you who are frequent to the use of public transportation in and out of the city are quite use to the everyday interactions within this area.  On a morning and evening this area is busy with people trying to get to and from work. Now you can see why City Gate floods so quickly during the rainy season, can you? However this is not the focus of this discussion,  the focus is to raise the issue of ecosystem destruction.Ever wonder the ecosystem that existed there before this land was reclaimed?

Before we explore this, let us determine what is an ecosystem?   An ecosystem is a community of both living that is the biotic environment and non-living things that is the abiotic environment that work together. They can be referred to as everything in the natural world.Ecosystems range from either a desert or a lake or as small as a tree or a puddle. The water, water temperature, plants, animals, air, light and soil all work together and this is what makes it a functioning system.If certain factors are absent or limited in the system such as light and water availability, the end result would be that plants will die and once plants die, animals that depend on them will too die and the same goes for carnivores. As such both the abiotic and biotic environment work together to keep the system balanced (Whitman, 2008) To read more, click on eco-systems.

 

Movie Towne Port of Spain

Another area of concern was the construction of the commercial area of Movie Towne and the Mariott Hotel. Before these buildings  were constructed, this area was previously inhabited with mangrove. Mangroves are important because (Lee, 2013)

1. They provide breeding, nursery and feeding areas for a variety of life including endangered and threatened species.
2. They help filter upland run-off
3. They buffer against wave-action during intense tropical storms (including hurricanes)
4. They hold soil during periods of heavy precipitation and stabilize shoreline sediments.

Regardless of the positive effects these mangrove wetlands have, the entire area was cleared for commercial use. Even though many Environmental lovers and fishermen protested against this destruction, power always wins. Therefore it shows that the economic gains of mankind outweighs those of the environment. Till this day, no action has ever been taken to rehabilitate the mangrove so that it can continue to thrive. From observing the residents of the area, Trinidadians do not seem to understand the benefits mangroves provide because they view it as useless and a waste of space. If this attitude continues, slowly Port of Spain's vulnerability to coastal flooding will increase (Lee,2013).

Lastly, our very own landfill at the Beetham was once an area occupied by the Caroni Swamp.  It was an area common to fishermen known as the "la basse" but now it is site in which Trinidad disposes of its waste. When the toxic originating from this landfill percolates to the water-table and make its way into the waterways, pollution occurs and so eco-systems can be destroyed. Not to mention, the Caroni Swamp is home to our very own National bird, the Scarlet Ibis and various endangered species (Kenny, 2008, 199) What were we thinking when we decided to dispose of our mangrove wetland? I guess we were thinking about development. But at what cost?

The Mariott hotel Port of Spain

This makes you question those in power, the Government because if  the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago envisions a country in which all persons treasure the environment and voluntarily use its resources wisely to ensure its protection, conservation and restoration, so that it can gain a level of sustainability, then why did they agree to allowing commercial buildings such as Movie Towne and the Mariott Hotel to be constructed on this area?

As William Rees says, "Sustainability depends on the conservation of certain biophysical entities and processes" Therefore in order to maintain a sustainable environment, there should be a balance between the carrying capacity of the population and the environment. One should not outweigh the other because this will lead to exploitation which can have tremendous effects in the future.

Refernce:
Julian Kenny. 2008. " The Biological Diversity of Trinidad and Tobago: A Naturalist's Notes". Trinidad and Tobago: Prospect Press.

Mark Lee. " Let's Save the Mangrove".  The International School of Port of Spain, 2013:20: 14.

William E. Rees. " Ecological footprints and appropriated carrying capacity: what urban economics leaves out." Environmental and Urbanization, Vol 4,No. 2, 1992: 125.


Walt Whitman, 2008. "The Concept of a Eco-System" http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/kling/ecosystem/ecosystem.html.

Factors contributing to the Vulnerability of the City to Flooding

East Dry River Port of Spain

The East Dry River gets its name due to the fact that during the dry season, the river is merely trickling in flow. This river before it was paved as seen in the picture; it was seen as a stream that had severe erosion cutting into its bank.  This River was once a social space in which children were seen to play amongst the roots of trees exposed due to erosion and women used the upper river where the water was the cleanest to do laundry. This was until the river became a garbage disposal, a sewer and in the end it posed serious health risk to people.  It was only in 1934 that the river was paved due to its erosion properties that threatened the households on Piccadilly Street, Port of Spain. This river came about due to the diversion of the St. Ann’s River which previously caused the town to flood during the rainy season. As such to prevent the flooding, and to aid in urban planning it was decided that the river be diverted. Read more on East Dry River's history here

Do you think that diverting the water flow will prevent the East Dry River from causing flooding as well?  The answer to this question is “No”. The East Dry River as well overflows its banks during the rainy season and this contributes to the main areas of Port of Spain flooding: The South Quay which is the main transportation hub, the Brian Lara Promenade/Independence Square and the network of streets which all makes up part of the Central Business District (CBD). Therefore when this flooding occurs, the main area that is affected is the highly populated city that is densely concentrated with businesses as well as households. This poses a serious threat to the economic gains of these businesses both of the formal and informal industries as well as affect the livelihoods of persons living in the area who become at risk to diseases from the flooded water.

 Why do you think the River overflows and contributes significantly to flooding in the city? This is as a result of not only the polluted waterways from garbage being disposed of in the river, but it has to do with the level of denudation taking place higher up in the hills. These elevated regions such as St. Anns, Laventille and Glenco in which development is taking place in terms of housing, are examples of areas that contributes to the amount of sediment being brought down during the rainy season. 

 Even though channel capacity can be increased to help in drainage, all this does is facilitate in moving greater volumes of water at a faster speed. When deforestation occurs by housing developments or unplanned developments or agricultural squatters and a rainfall event occurs, the run-off due to it being on a slope is removed quickly as there is no trees to intercept or infiltrate this water. As such the water under gravity is pulled down faster into the city. Due to the city being found in a low lying area, there is little to no vegetation for the water to infiltrate here and so the water stays on the surface and contributes to the widespread flooding within the city.Also contributing to the flooding of the city is natural degradation of the land which occurs during the dry season where bush fires are usually a serious problem. Due to the burning of these areas during the months of 'drought' the land becomes cleared and its surface is vulnerable to run-off as it is with deforestation.The level of deforestation or degradation seen can also lead to severe landslides which can contribute to the loss of property. This was a serious issue taking place in Diego Martin a few years ago. Read more on the disaster caused by Landslides in Diego Martin here.

Many years ago when planners decided to divert the river due to flooding, this was definitely a mistake because what they actually did was remove the problem of flooding from one area and directed it towards another. Therefore this type of flood management was unsuccessful because this created another flooding problem.

 Furthermore, flooding occurs due to several contributing factors that all play a role in blocking the easy flow of water. In order to prevent this, not only is the role Governments play by ensuring that there are numerous drains constructed to facilitate in the fast drainage of the low lying city important but also individuals as well needs to take a single handed vow preventing themselves as well as others from littering in these waterways. As the old saying goes, "Prevention is better than cure".

For future prevention of flooding of the East Dry river, what can be done by Governments or planners is firstly the erosional features of the uppermost bank of the river should be evaluated so that its impact can be prevented. This can be done by  building dams and detention basins on the steeper regions of the river so that the rate of water flow is reduced and hence during the rainy season  the volumes of water that would have entered the city quickly is prohibited and the flooding slowly but surely would be prevented.

As such, it was found that it is difficult to educate people on taking measures to prevent their own waste from blocking waterways. This is due to the fact that people once they are not affected by the problem they are blind to the hazard they are contributing to. Thus it is somewhat inevitable that waste will be disposed of in waterways so therefore what can be done is that when planning for urban growth, planners should carefully assess slope stability and take into consideration the negative outcomes that can be associated with improper planning. Therefore once these factors are considered, the most viable decision could be made so that little to no mass movement can occur. For each building plan, certain priorities must be met and a general consensus should be made so that planning along slopes does not create future problems such as floods (Pacione, 2009,400).

Reference:

Michael Pacione. 2009. Urban Geography: A Global Perspective Third edition. London and New York: Routeledge.