I See Lots...

The Waterfront and its Environment

The beautiful city of Port of Spain on entry one can gaze upon a few high rise buildings. Just to list a few, The Twin Towers, The Nicholas Tower and the Hyatt Regency Trinidad.  For many who have visited the capital, a must stop is the waterfront which is located next to the Hyatt as well as the Port. At the waterfront area, one can see many boats harbored and beyond you can see the never ending blue ocean. Or so it may seem!

This water body which bounds the five star hotel Hyatt, is in fact polluted. Even though it appears clean due to the absence of garbage, the water quality here is unsatisfactory in my opinion. The Hyatt Regency is the number one hotel in Trinidad which facilitate in the hospitality of many foreigners such as Government Officials, Celebrities and even Tourist who visit the country for varying reasons. As such, you would expect to leave these visitors with a positive impression of our sweet T&T.  However the slumped area seen upon entrance to the city could be an 'eyesore' to witness as well as the contamination of the water from Sea Lots adjoining with the ocean is very unpleasant. Would you not prefer that our 5 star hotel which overlooks the sea be a clean blue, not one that is obscured by the dark waste? 

Sea Lots Water Pollution

Those who are familiar with the Sea Lots environment and for many who may not have notice, observe the environment the next time you take a trip to Post of Spain. You will be given a clear visual of this distasteful sight and unfortunately you would be greeted with its unpleasant odour. So whine up those glasses!!

The Sea Lots area is directly linked with the open sea and it is a clear indication of the water quality in the vicinity. Sea Lots which is home to many squatters is severely polluted with varying amounts of garbage ranging from glass bottles to old plastic that have accumulated by the residents occupying the area. This is illustrated in the picture which shows a heavily polluted, dark and muddy water. This is due to the area having poor drainage and little to no infrastructure for sewage or pipe borne water. The residents here are usually employed at the waterfront or at the Sea Lots Industrial Centre. As such they remain in a dormant position in which the case is they are encouraged to pollute on an everyday basis.

According to Richard Peiser urban planning should contain policies governing utility provision which would discourage sprawl but however due to the absence of the laws, areas like Sea Lots and the Beetham will continue to prevail. Furthermore, due to the pull factors such as good schools and safer neighbourhoods versus the push factors of poor schools, high crime rates and the deteriorating home values are substantially the reason why there is currently a high concentration of poverty in the city region as the poor are not able to afford the commodities of the suburban environment (Rusk, 1995)

As such the Government and the people needs to be more aware of the water pollution problem which is generated in the city life especially by those who are residents of the slumped areas because they are faced directly with serious health threats that can be fatal(Hall, 2006:154)Therefore to avoid or reduce these problems associated by sprawl, regional management is necessary so that all municipalities within the metropolitan can benefit in their best interest instead of individual areas maximizing their own self-interest. With this, proper facilities and infrastructure can be put into place for not only the suburban dwellers who can afford the safer environments but the poor city dwellers who face health threats on a daily basis (Peiser 2001:296)

Reference:

Tim Hall.2006.Urban Geography 3rd edition. London/New York: Routeledge,154.

Richard Peiser. 2012. "Urban Sprawl," The Town Planning Review 72: no.3: 296.

David Rusk. 1995.  Cities without suburbs. Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson Centre Press.