Pollution - Form 5
Pollution - Form 5
Pollution - Form 5
Form 5 Geography
Brian Lara Cricket Stadium
Definition
• Pollution is the presence/introduction of harmful substances into
the environment, which negatively impacts and causes the
environment to change
• Water
• Air
• Noise
Land Pollution
Land pollution
• Land pollution is the deterioration of the earth’s terrestrial surfaces,
caused by the result of human activity when they misuse and
improperly discard of their waste
• The effects can be directly or indirectly on the land resources
• On land the main source of pollution is industries, many industries
emit waste which is untreated and often toxic
• Waste produced by industries is know as industrial effluent
• Examples : cement, textile, oil, paint, steel and sugar cane industries
Land pollution
• Households also pollute the land with waste being generated from
households, they enter the environment via improper disposal
- Reduced use
• Visual pollution deals with aesthetics and how pollution impacts your
ability to appreciate the environment you are viewing
• Visual pollution negatively impacts how you view or conceive the
environment
• Aesthetically, if the environment is not pleasing to look at, it causes
eye fatigue, a distraction from the true beauty and loss of identity for
the area
Point and Non-Point Source Pollution
• Pollution can be viewed as being either Point Source and Non-Point
Source Pollution, with either having various effects on the
environment
• Point source pollution is pollution that can be simply tracked back to
its source
• You can recognize (point to) the source of this pollution, it is pollution
produced from a static facility or stationary location where pollutants
are being discharged; any single identifiable source of the pollution
• Non-point source pollution unlike point source is one that cannot be
simply traced back to its source. You cannot simply identify (point to)
the source of this pollution
Tourism and Pollution
• Pollution from the tourism sector is a major concern, specifically in
the Caribbean region
• It can be generated from the release of untreated sewage from
hotels, cruise ships and yachts
• The Caribbean is ranked among the world’s most polluted seas
• Coral reefs are the most affected as a result
• Polluted areas do not attract tourist
Impacts of pollution
• Physical
• Economic
• Social
• Ecological
Impacts of pollution
The impacts of pollution in the area can be viewed in four spheres
1. The physical impacts – This is the direct impact from pollution on
the area
2. Economic – There is a cost attached to the impact of and removal of
pollutants, potential future earnings also affected
3. The social impact – Aesthetics, inability to access and use the
polluted area
4. Ecologically – Pollution affects the flora and fauna and the whole
ecological functioning of an area
Polluter Pays Principle
• Is a form of pollution control
• The key feature of this type of pollution control is that the cost associated
with preventing and reducing the impact of the pollution is borne by the
party causing the pollution
• The principle, which is a policy of Environmental Management Authority
(EMA), though not properly enforced aims to optimally allocate the limited
resources
• Important elements of the principle are:
a) Charges are levied as an application or processing fee, purchase price of a licence or
permit, which entitle the holder to generate specific quantities of pollutants
b) Money collected will accrue to the Environmental Trust Fund
Examples of Pollution in the Caribbean
• Industrial Estates in Trinidad
- Responsible for vast amount of Marine Pollution that exists
• Industrial Sources
- Waste from alcohol distilling
- Process waste: caustic soap lye, sulphuric acid, electroplating solutions,
photo-finishing chemicals
- Organic waste from breweries, food processing, drink manufacturers
• The discharges reach the Caroni river via its tributaries when they
are released into drainage systems
Examples of Pollution in the Caribbean
• These waste products, which are usually toxic end up in the sea,
namely the Gulf of Paria where they kill fish and other marine life and
pose toxic threat to humans
• The chemistry of the water is also changed by the contaminants
which results in greater competition for the recourses in the water
• At these estates there are also petrochemical plants which produce
ammonia, methanol and urea
• Iron and steel plants are also present
Remedial measures
• Technologies have to be implemented to treat the waste and remove
the contaminants before it is released into the environment
• Enforcement of the pollution rules
• Monitoring of companies
• Implementation and enforcement of fines and penalties for offenders
Examples
Kingston Harbour
• Life in the Kingston harbour is dead
• 20 million gallons of untreated sewage enters the Bay yearly
• Sedimentation is another major contributor adding 1.5 million tonnes
per year
• The natural filter in the harbour which is the Palisadoes peninsular
cannot filter the volume of pollution
Kingston Harbour
• The raw sewage entering the harbour is a result of the surrounding
large settlements, which do not have proper waste and sewage
disposal systems, pipe borne water is also limited
• Apart from degradation of the land and harbour, this has also resulted
in adverse health effects for the residents
Remedies
• As land activities account for 80% of aquatic pollution, attention is
focused on the land based source of the pollutants
• Jamaica’s National Programme of Action – PNPA is trying to address
the issues on land
• The Caribbean Environmental Programme (CEP), which is a regional
body was created with the aim of protection and management of
coastal resources in the region which includes the Kingston Harbour
Caroni River Basin
• The basin of the Caroni river Covers 22% of Trinidad’s landmass and
houses 33% of the island’s homes