Reflections on Blogs

The blog Urban Infrastructure in Port of Spain focuses on the infrastructure of Port-of-Spain and it touches on two of the factors in our blog, drainage and solid waste management. Their drainage post was very well done and put together, it would complement our post on flooding as we barely touched on the factor of drainage which is Port-of-Spain's biggest problem when it come to flooding. Their relation to the city's ancient structure shows how it is not suited to facilitate the capacity of water that is now running through the streets as more buildings were constructed, greatly decreasing rainwater infiltration into the ground. We stated this point also on the city's old structure. Thus resulting in all this water collecting on the streets and the small drains do not do an efficient job of collecting and guiding the water away. The drains are also clogged by litter from pedestrians who do not utilise the bins throughout the city. They made a link that the rainwater can be contaminated and if in contact with the skin can cause illness.

The blog Urban Life covered our posts on carnival, nightlife and the traffic situation. Our blog covered Carnival but only the negative impacts of it in terms of sound pollution, we forgot to give praise to its involvement in the development and display of our culture, and also the impact it has to tourism and foreign exchange as many tourists enter the country for this season to participate or view the festivities. Also how it brings together all walks of life to have fun and enjoy themselves in stress free environments. They covered nightlife on the Avenue which we pointed out was a great disadvantage to the residents in the area as the noise levels can be quite high. Finally, the traffic congestion that contributed to the air pollution in our blog was covered by theirs and they mentions how the traffic may be coming from a specific area, and the bad parking done on already narrow streets. However, we did not give attention to the government's effort towards mitigating the traffic situation by the introduction of public transportation, PTSC, which is a transportation hub that provides maxi-taxis and buses to and from the capital city.

Finally, the blog Urban St. James covers all aspects of the area, especially the financial aspect which we did not give any mention to. It can be thought of as an outlying business district as the Harris and Ullman multiple sector model shows. The quote they took from discovertnt.com "The district of St. James has been called“the city that never sleeps” because of its thumping music, sidewalk vendors and straightforward, down-to-earth drinking dens. You’ll find loads of bars along the Western Main Road. Of these, the most famous is the signature Smokey and Bunty‘s, a legendary liming spot where regular characters who are an evening’s entertainment all by themselves." says how it's called "the city that never sleeps" which is bad for the residents there that actually want to and need sleep at night.

Solutions

http://pixshark.com/elementary-education-classroom.htm

To solve the problem of pollution in Port of Spain we must start with educating the children in the local schools in the city and explaining to them the consequences to polluting the city. There should be classes and practical exercises that teach them how to properly dispose of waste and why they should. Children are the future and it is up to them to maintain the country when they reach adulthood. Additionally we must also raise awareness with the local population and teach them new ways of disposing of their trash and other waste.

There has been a start by the government to counteract pollution by recycling, where they put several bins specified for recycling around the city. The collected garbage would be taken to the newly built SWMCOL recycling depot for recycling which in turn helps the environment because less raw materials are being used to create new plastic, glass or paper products by using the old products to create new ones. Additionally there have been many fines and regulations put on persons who break pollutions laws such as noise levels after a certain time and littering, but the only way to get the public to respect them are to fully enforce these laws and exercise them daily. The picture on the right shows total disregard for the sign instructing persons to not litter because it has fallen or was taken down from the pole and there is an empty bottle next to it. It says that the fine is $1000 but it seems like this fine is too small or persons know the "authorities are not going to do anything about it. In order to combat the are pollution in the city the government has started a drive with car dealerships to import hybrid cars that do not give off a lot of emissions and they also reduced taxes significantly for importing these cars while raising taxes on large engine vehicles such as 3 litre engines. Also, the landfill should be moved from the city entirely or at least move to the Western side of the city which is down wind, resulting in all smoke, scents and gases blowing away from the city.

It is in my view that there is still not enough being done to reduce the levels of pollution in the city but there has been a brave start by the government.

References

Accessed April 9, 2015. http://www.greentnt.org/content/plastic-recycling.

"New State of the Art Recycling Plant Coming to T&T." Trinidad Express Newspaper. March 13, 2014.          Accessed April 9, 2015. 
     http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/New-state-of-the--art-recycling-plant--coming-to-TT-                        250256501.html.

"The Trinidad and Tobago Solid Waste Management Company (SWMCOL) - SWMCOL'S RECYCLING          DEPOT." The Trinidad and Tobago Solid Waste Management Company (SWMCOL) - SWMCOL'S            RECYCLING DEPOT. Accessed April 8, 2015. 
       http://www.swmcol.co.tt/events/232-swmcols-recycling-depot.html.

Authority

http://www.mytravelguide.com/photos/destphotodisplay-196001-196001-4-Trinidad_and_Tobago_photos.html

The City of Port of Spain is not only home to residents but also to dignitaries and their offices. This only leaves us to think, if this city holds such important persons to the country of Trinidad and Tobago, why wouldn’t more effort be placed into making it a cleaner place? As read in previous posts, the city while there has been improvement, lacks effort in maintenance of not only physical and visual pollution but noise and air pollution as well. The photo above shows the Red House where the parliament of Trinidad and Tobago meet to discuss and make decisions on affairs of the country. It is located in the heart of the CBD which is a high traffic area, you would think that the commuters would exercise some care and respect towards keeping it's surroundings clean as many ministry head offices are located within the city.

The Office of the Prime Minister (shown in the photo to the right) for example is located within the city, in its surroundings there are vendors, schools, business, and the famous Queen’s Park Savannah. This location is known for loitering and littering as it is not blocked off during festivities such as carnival, jourvert or annual family days, resulting in one or more of the various types of pollution discussed in previous posts. As figures with authority more respect should be shown and measures put into place in the areas of these buildings of high importance, not simply a daily clean up after commuters have thrown there rubbish at the side of the gates of a dignitary’s office. Another example is the President’s House (shown in the photo below), which is located within the same area of the Office of the Prime Minister, however it is also near to two of the most famous recreational parks the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Hollows and the Emperor Valley Zoo. This area on holidays and weekends, because of it’s high capacity results in littering as they patrons do not walk with personal bags to place their garbage or even take a walk to the nearest bin. My question is, why don't the citizens of this country feel obligated to upkeep the sanitary conditions of these popular areas and areas that house entities of authority? How will it look to locals and foreign visitors that this is the way we treat our pillars of society by polluting their areas without more emphasis of the importance and appreciation of these areas. To me it destroys the essence of urban life and culture.

References

"Home - Office of the Prime Minister, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago." Home - Office of the Prime Minister, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Accessed April 10, 2015. http://www.opm.gov.tt/index.php.

"Magnificent Seven Port of Spain Trinidad and Tobago." Page Has Moved. Accessed April 10, 2015. http://www1.american.edu/dlublin/travel/trinidad2.htm.

"Trinidad & Tobago Celebrates Independence Day!" A Celebration of Women™ — The World Hub for Women Leaders That Care. Accessed April 10, 2015. http://acelebrationofwomen.org/2011/08/trinidad-tobago-celebrates-independence-day/.

"Trinidad and Tobago Photos | MyTravelGuide.com." Travel Guides and Hotel Reviews | MyTravelGuide.com. Accessed April 10, 2015. http://www.mytravelguide.com/photos/destphotodisplay-196001-196001-4-Trinidad_and_Tobago_photos.html.

Land Pollution

Land or Soil Pollution is the contamination of the soil that prevents the natural growth and balance in the land, and the City of Port of Spain suffers from large amounts of land pollution.

In Port of Spain the most affected area of this form of pollution is the sea lots area and the Beetham Landfill. These areas are most affected because of the heavy industrialisation in Sea Lots. Additionally the Sea Lots area of Port of Spain is also home to a large Slum area which has poor water quality due to the high amounts of industrial waste entering the ground water supply through the soil. This is why the residents of the area are always causing some sort of disturbance and uproar because they are victims to the industrial pollution and are at risk of contracting diseases. The residents of Sea Lots also use what ever they can find to build up the land they are on because the land is unstable since it is mainly reclaimed land adding to the high amounts of pollution in the area. 

 http://www.guardian.co.tt/sites/default/files/field/image/sea%20lots_0.png

Large amounts of waste deposits in the Beetham Landfill is also another cause to the high amounts of Land Pollution in the area. This is because the Beetham Landfill is the only area where collected garbage can be dumped therefore large amounts of garbage from Trinidad is dumped in the landfill and not managed efficiently. The land pollution throughout the city streets is a major factor in the flooding covered in the last post.

http://lyndersaydigital.com/ll/no/02_files/Beetham%20Landfill%20069.jpg

References

Accessed April 8, 2015. www.eposdctt/ddefualt.asp?=61

"Types of Pollution." LoveToKnow. Accessed April 9, 2015. 

http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Types_of_Pollution.

City of Light

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3912/14432690646_b6a0543626_b.jpg

If a City resident and a Rural resident look up to the sky what would they see? The rural resident will see the millions of stars in our universe, and maybe see some planets if they know what to look for. The city resident on the other hand will only see a bright sky. This is know as Photo-pollution or Light Pollution. Light Pollution is the over illumination of an area that is considered obtrusive. The city of Port of Spain before 2000 there were only one buildings that stood out in the city's skyline and it was only lit by street lights and the buildings internal lights. Now there are many tall buildings and the city is bright enough that it can be seen from space. 

With these bright lights, Port of Spain has become the city that doesn't sleep with various activities occurring all through the night. For example, Ariapita Avenue and St. James have been the hub for nightlife in the city. With all these activities, residents who reside in the city are affected when they go to sleep at night as it may feel as if it is still day. The brightness of all the lights coupled with the "nightlife" can cause many residents to have difficulty relaxing and enjoying a proper night's sleep. Additionally the brightness of the city affects many animals most of whom are pets as they may endure the same conditions and suffer from a lack of sleep, making them irritable during the day which can be a driving force to the dog attacks recently. 

In 2013 Trinidad and Tobago suffered a nationwide blackout caused by a natural gas supply failure to the power plants. This nationwide power outage was the first time in years that Port of Spain city residents was able to view the stars and astronomical constellations in the sky because it was not obstructed by the many city lights which drown out the incoming light from the stars.

In my opinion, one can not stop the growing influence of the urban area and therefore the increasing photo-pollution is not going to be reduced any time in the near future because of it's influence to business and the economy. So the only way to escape it is to move away from it or turn your home into a soundproof, light blocking building.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9b/Port_of_Spain_Skyline_at_Night.JPG

References 

"Discover Trinidad | Discover Trinidad & Tobago Travel Guide | Discover Trinidad & Tobago Travel Guide." Discover Trinidad & Tobago Travel Guide. Accessed April 9, 2015. http://www.discovertnt.com/articles/Trinidad/Discover-Trinidad/130/3/23#axzz3WumVhjJe.

Kowlessar, Geisha. "Three major blackouts in three years." Guardian, March 30, 2013. Accessed April 9, 2015. https://guardian.co.tt/news/2013-03-29/three-major-blackouts-three-years.

"Switch off the Lights - Trinidad & Tobago Online." Trinidad & Tobago Online. Accessed April 9, 2015. http://www.ttonline.org/2015/03/30/switch-off-the-lights/.

"Types of Pollution." LoveToKnow. Accessed April 9, 2015. http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Types_of_Pollution.

"Urban Light Pollution: Why We're All Living with Permanent 'mini Jetlag' | Cities | The Guardian." The Guardian. Accessed April 9, 2015. http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/oct/23/-sp-urban-light-pollution-permanent-mini-jetlag-health-unnatural-bed.

"What is Light Pollution?" Globe at Night. Accessed April 9, 2015. http://www.globeatnight.org/light-pollution.php.

Waterlogged

The City of Port of Spain has been probed by flooding occurrences for many years. But within the last decade these flooding events have been escalated due to global warming, high pollution and many other reasons. According to GreenTNT.org, Flooding is a hydrological hazard, which occurs when there is an excess gathering or distribution of water, which outweighs the carrying capacity of the local environment.

According to numbeo.com the city of Port of Spain has a water pollution index high of 83.33. This is caused by the dumping of commercial and residential waste into the city’s 2 main water courses, the East Dry River and the Maraval River, also the city's already small and narrow drains. This causes blockage of these drains and rivers. When this occurs, during any rainfall event no matter its intensity and duration, along with the environmental factors, the blockage by the waste forces the run off to find an alternative route via the city’s impermeable streets, resulting in flooding.

                                          (sourced from Urban Infrastucture - Port of Spain, Trinidad Blog
                                             http://urban-infrastructure.blogspot.com/2015/04/drainage.html)

Because of the heavy pollution which causes this flooding in the City of Port of Spain, there has been many negative effects which could range from negligible to devastating. One of the main effects is damage to property which has occurred to many buildings of South Quay and downtown Port of Spain. The flood waters cause businesses to close their doors and it damages a lot of merchandise resulting in businesses and homes to suffer electrical and material losses. Who is there to replace these items or offer some sort of help physically, emotionally, psychologically and financially? Another effect is garbage in the city is also being swept away by the flood waters creating more pollution in the sea.

Solutions to the flooding in Port of Spain can come in many forms either as a law or as an initiative for example fines and charges can be given to persons found littering in the water courses, but this and existing laws needs to be enforced by the law enforcement. Another solution was the building of a detention pond to combat the flooding. This pond did not seem like it was thought of properly and thoroughly because the flooding throughout the city has not decreased significantly.

In my view the only way to combat the flooding in Port of Spain is to implement proper laws and restrictions on pollution and it's up to us as a nation to make a change before it is too late.

References

Accessed April 9, 2015. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7313/8747269885_74c2d81d48_o.jpg.

Coastal Issues / Coastal Care. Accessed April 9, 2015. http://coastalcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/trinidad-flooding.jpg.

"Ministry of Works and Infrastructure - Projects - Detention Ponds." Ministry of Works and Infrastructure - Ministry of Works and Infrastructure. Accessed April 9, 2015. http://www.mowt.gov.tt/general/project.aspx?projectID=10.

Newsday. n.d. http://www.newsday.co.tt/galeria/South_Quay_Flooding_(7)new_CC.jpg.

"Pollution in Port Of Spain, Trinidad And Tobago." Cost of Living. Accessed April 9, 2015. http://www.numbeo.com/pollution/city_result.jsp?country=Trinidad+And+Tobago&city=Port+Of+Spain.

Taylor, Robert. "Post of Spain Flooding." Trinidad Express, October 20, 2010. Accessed April 9, 2015. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/photos/Port-of-Spain-Flooding-105355433.html.

Port-of-Smog

As it was touched on in the preceding post, Port-of-Spain, being the capital city is bombarded by heavy commuters daily as they enter to attend school or jobs or just shop. This means that a high number of vehicles enter the city on a daily basis, which can only mean one thing, a high amount of emissions. On entering the city while the sun is still low in the sky a dark haze can be seen elevated above the Beetham and the city. That haze is just a small indication of how bad the air quality is in the city and something should be done about it. This haze is due to the high traffic congestion coupled with the location of a landfill just on the outskirt of the city. 

The photo on the left shows early morning traffic coming into the city from the Eastern, Central and Southern parts of the island. This line of vehicles stretches miles as everyone is trying to get to their daily obligations. Due to narrow streets and insufficient parking, the city is not fit to accommodate all of these vehicles. Most of the population chooses to travel alone in their personal vehicles as opposed to car pooling mainly because of personal space reasons or having multiple things to do during the day which require readily available transport.

Thus leaving many single occupant vehicles in the city rather than multiple occupant vehicles which would decrease the amount of vehicles having to enter the city on a daily basis. This can only lead to more traffic within the city, CBD most prominently and surrounding areas such as Woodbrook, Newtown, Tranquility suffer as well since these areas were not originally designed for commercial activity and high traffic. There aren't a lot of parking lots available in the city so commuters choose to park on the side of the streets further reducing their already small capacity resulting in traffic congestion throughout the entire city especially at rush hours. Pedestrians that are making their way through the city are faced with first-hand encounters with the large amount of car emissions. How are all the school children that are making their way to and from school supposed to overcome/avoid these emissions? What about the babies with their mothers or the elderly or the general public? It may not show up right away but the inhalant of these concentrated vehicle emissions can cause serious respiratory problems if not controlled over time. The picture above perfectly displays what was just explained, the parking, traffic congestion and pedestrians close proximity to the cars and their emissions. Most of the CBD streets also are lined with high rise buildings that create a pocket and make it difficult for these gasses to escape quickly.

Another major problem with the air quality is the location of the landfill just on the outskirt of the city, and upwind too. How could this have ever been a feasible thing to do? It is also located directly across the highway from a residential area, The Beetham Gardens, yes the country places a stigma on the residents of this area but not all of them are bad. Maybe they cause some uproar because their community always reeks with the stench of the landfill or the smog hovering overhead. How is someone supposed to enjoy urban life/lifestyle when they live next to a dump, their health is at risk, they can't focus, etc. A little over a year ago many fires were set in the landfill causing the entire city to shut down because the smoke and smog was so bad. Many persons were hospitalised due to respiratory damage symptoms, schools were closed, businesses and offices shut their doors also, and the city was basically evacuated. These fires lasted for days causing massive losses to businesses and school children as well as they were deprived of their full education schedule, it also threw some of them off track. The photo to the right and the one below on the left show how the visibility was very minimal on attempting to enter the city, this is a very hazardous situation as motorists are at a higher risk of hitting something or someone they cannot see through the smoke. The other photo shows how the entire city was engulfed in smoke causing major respiratory damage and illness, also causing the closure of all schools and businesses in the area.

References

Clyne, Kalifa. "No rise in harmful pollutants from Beetham fires-EMA." Guardian, May 20, 2014. Accessed April 7, 2015. http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2014-05-20/no-rise-harmful-pollutants-beetham-fires%E2%80%94ema.

Dopson, W. ""We like the traffic so'." Newsday, September 5, 2002. Accessed April 7, 2015. http://www.newsday.co.tt/letters/0,165827.html.

"EMA Conducts Air Quality Monitoring in Response to Beetham Landfill Fires | Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management - ODPM." Welcome to Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management - ODPM | Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management - ODPM. Last modified January 29, 2914. http://www.odpm.gov.tt/node/772.

Environmental Management Authority. "Update on Air Quality Monitoring in Port of Spain." Accessed April 7, 2015. www.ema.co.tt/new/index.php/news-and-events/news/recent/399-update-on-air-quality-testing-and-monitoring-in-pos.

Espinet, Rachel, and Marlene Augustine. "PORT-OF-SMOG." Newsday, January 30, 2014. Accessed April 7, 2015. http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,189928.html.

"Gridlock in Trinidad -- NationNews Barbados -- Local, Regional and International News Nationnews.com." Www.nationnews.com. Accessed April 7, 2015. http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/65275/gridlock-trinidad.

"Port of Spain Case Study." Scribd - Read Unlimited Books. Accessed April 7, 2015. http://www.scribd.com/doc/19552480/Port-of-Spain-Case-Study#scribd.

The Trinidad and Tobago Solid Waste Management Company (SWMCOL). Accessed April 7, 2015. http://www.swmcol.co.tt/index.php?view=article&catid=39:news&id=190:news-bulletin&format=pdf.

Little City Big Noise

Life in Trinidad and Tobago is now heavily influenced by a culture of loud music or just the general noise in the atmosphere. A new trend of vehicles with over-amplified speakers or the many bars and shops present throughout the islands that try to capture the attention and interest of potential customers, not to mention the private limes or parties. Through this, it can be said that Trinidad and Tobago has become an entertainment centred culture, with it's major activities and events occurring in the capital city, Port-of-Spain. The city streets are drenched with  bars, nightclubs, lounges, multi-storey clubs, theaters, etc. as the entertainment industry tries to meet the demand of the growing population and provide a range of entertainment choices. 

The most popular entertainment venue in Port-of-Spain is Ariapita Avenue, commonly called "the avenue" is a street lined with entertainment choices from bars to clubs to restaurants to simple road-side food stalls. This is in the heart of the community of Woodbrook which is also a residential area that contains schools and businesses. The surrounding areas such as St. James and Cipriani Boulevard are structured the same with a mix of urban entertainment and basic residential life. All of these areas are being promoted by the Government and other agencies in an effort to push urban tourism as a way of assisting urban development. The photo on the left shows some of the venues on the avenue, the top left shows how patrons can crowd the pavement or streets at night while waiting to enter a venue or just occupying there with friends. Imagine living in that area, with dozens of people just loitering outside your homes or near to your homes, their consumption of alcohol to "help aid in their experience" would make them loud and disturbing. When you are trying to gain a good night's rest or a child studying for upcoming exams, you are being heavily disturbed by the loud banging from the clubs or the people in the streets talking loudly, or the cars that are fitted with these loud music systems. How are you to be comfortable and not feel uneasy.

Another thing is that most of these clubs are old houses that have been bought over and just fitted with the relevant equipment to provide entertainment, not paying any care towards renovating the old house and upgrading the walls and windows so the sound doesn't escape the building. You would think that they would care enough to keep within the 65 decibel level limit, but they go well above 85 decibels. The old style house structure can be seen in the bottom left and top right photos. The gentrification of these places can eventually lead to the destruction of the community and turn Woodbrook especially into and entertainment area and not so much residential.

The photo on the right (Taken by Jameel Phillip) shows how this loud car trend changes the whole interior of the vehicle. Imagine a couple cars like this parked all over the avenue or in St. James blasting music while friends hang out on the pavement. This person's car doesn't even have a back seat, his trunk is filled with amps and speakers, so the question that is left to ask is where is his spare tyre? How can this be legal? The relevant authorities cannot deem vehicles like these fit for daily commute. They even drive around during the day playing their music at high levels which affects schools in the are a lot, especially during exams. Citizens have a right to enjoy the comfort of their own homes without being bombarded by a parked car playing music or a neighbour doing the same. Other countries do not tolerate any form of noise pollution as they recognise this right.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) advises that noise pollution can cause not only sleep disturbances, but also aggression, hypertension, stress, hearing loss, cardiovascular problems, mental health issues, impaired task performance, learning problems, and negative social behaviour. Noise pollution has been flagged as the second biggest environmental problem affecting health, after air pollution. VS Naipaul wrote that "Port of Spain is the noisiest city in the world," in 1962 when there were less and quieter fetes. Nowadays the frequencies and sound levels of these parties have increased drastically especially around carnival season. It greatly affects urban life as our culture and climate call for open windows at days and nights for those who rather sleep without air condition or cannot afford it.

References

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

"Keep a Lid OnThe Loud Noise | Trinidad Express Newspaper | Commentaries." Trinidad Express Newspaper. Accessed April 6, 2015. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/Keep_a_lid_on_the_loud_noise-131958553.html.

TT Citizens Against Noise (blog). n.d. http://trinbagocan.blogspot.com/.

Urban Cries of Trinidad and Tobago, The (blog). n.d. http://urbancries.blogspot.com/.

Urban Livelihood (blog). n.d. http://urbanlivelihood.blogspot.com/.