According to Hall and Barrett (2011) urban cities are major
contributors to global environmental problems such as pollution, resource
depletion and land intake. From my observations of urban cities such as Port of
Spain, Arima and Tunapuna it is clearly evident that these cities are
responsible for the many global environmental problems as mentioned by Hall and
Barrett. The above picture was taken on a side street in an area in Tunapuna which is a major
urban city in Trinidad. The photo shows somewhat of a dysfunctional drainage
system. The water in this drain is stagnant and polluted with biochemical
agents as well as debris. As this drain is very unkempt, this can be a health
hazard as the scents coming from it are very unpleasant. Mosquito borne
diseases are also possible as the conditions are ideal for their survival.
These are serious urban problems and according to Niemczynowicz
(1994) these are problems faced by both developed and developing countries. He outlined
that action must be taken in order to prevent pollution formation at the source
during all human activities. This would be a more successful plan instead of
implementing policies such as clean up acts. In Trinidad and Tobago there are
several clean-up crews such as Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) and Community-Based
Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP). However in recent
times CEPEP gangs have been the main source for the maintenance and upkeep of
cities and communities. In my opinion CEPEP is extremely important to our
society, however their resources as well as some of the workers mind-set are
limited and as a result of this they lack the efficiency needed to be successful.
Upon monitoring the photo closely one can observe that some
of the grass has been cut dried out, however it is left there and it falls into
the drain causing the drain to clog up and lead to future flooding. At the top
left hand side of the photo the grass is extremely tall and growing within the
drain, this shows ignorance on the part of the persons responsible for
maintaining the area. The link below shows how important good drainage is to a city. The maintenance and frequent cleaning of waterways are necessary as it can lead to economic as well as social problems.
References:
Hall, Tim, and Heather L. Barrett. Urban geography. Milton Park,
Abingdon, Oxon:Routledge,2011.
Niemczynowicz, Janusz. "New aspects of urban drainage and pollution reduction towards sustainability." water science and technology vol30 (1994): http://www.iwaponline.com/wst/03005/wst030050269.htm.
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