A Painful Drainful

This photo of a man-made waterway was taken near the entrance of the Freetown community. As seen in the picture, the drain consists of numerous undesirables polluting the water via point source pollution. Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans and groundwater) by toxic agents which either get dissolved in the water in suspension, floats on the surface or settles on the bed. It occurs when these pollutants are directly or indirectly discharged into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove them. It affects all organisms living in the water bodies negatively and degrades the quality of water. Not only does this spell disaster for aquatic ecosystems, the pollutants also seep through and reach the groundwater, which might end up in our households as contaminated water we use in our daily activities, including drinking (World Wildlife Fund).

Industrial waste discharge and sewage from the from cities are the two main causes of urban water pollution, but in Port of Spain a great contributor seems to be garbage incorrectly and carelessly disposed of: from plastic bottles and old food boxes to lumber and parts of appliances. It is believed that garbage is also dumped directly at river mouths and at land-sea interfaces by persons living near these areas such as the Beetham area, as shown in the following picture.

Virtually all types of water pollution are harmful to the health of humans and animals. Water pollution may not damage our health immediately but can be harmful after long term exposure. Different forms of pollutants affect the health of animals in different ways. Industrial waste often contains many toxic compounds that damage the health of aquatic animals and those who eat them. Some of the toxins in industrial waste may only have a mild effect whereas other can be fatal. They can cause immune suppression, reproductive failure or acute poisoning. Microbial pollutants from sewage often result in infectious diseases that infect aquatic life and terrestrial life through drinking water. Microbial water pollution is a major problem in the developing world, with diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever being the primary cause of infant mortality. This is most likely why it is observed to have no type of fishing along the coast of Port of Spain and environs. 

Suspended particles in freshwater reduces the quality of drinking water for humans and the aquatic environment for marine life. Suspended particles can often reduce the amount of sunlight penetrating the water, disrupting the growth of photosynthetic plants and micro-organisms. Organic matter and nutrients causes an increase in aerobic algae and depletes oxygen from the water column. This causes the suffocation of fish and other aquatic organisms (Water Pollution Guide). Many dead fish washed up on the shores of La Brea earlier this year in March. Since officials ruled out the recent oil spill in the area as the reason for the deaths, algae growth in the waters may have caused their death by suffocation. Dumping of litter in the sea and in drains can cause huge problems. Litter items such as 6-pack ring packaging can get caught in marine animals and may result in death. All the various items that we inappropriately dump in waterways take different lengths of time to biodegrade: cardboard; which takes 2 weeks, and plastic packaging; taking up to 400 years. During this disintegration process the plastic is broken up into smaller pieces and fish and other fauna may mistake these pieces for food and suffocate. Glass takes so long that scientists are unsure of the exact duration.

Take great care not to overuse pesticides and fertilizers. This will prevent runoffs of the material into nearby water sources. By having more plants in your garden (personally, a hydroponic environment), you are preventing fertilizer, pesticides and contaminated water from running off into nearby water sources. Be careful about what you throw down your sink or toilet. Don’t throw paints, oils or other forms of litter down the drain. If one wishes to help keep our waters clean, there are many things one can do to help. Adopt adequate disposal practices and don’t throw litter into rivers, lakes or oceans. Help clean up any litter you see on beaches or in rivers and lakes, make sure it is safe to collect the litter and put it in a nearby dustbin.

The average person can prevent water pollution of nearby rivers and lakes as well as groundwater and drinking water by following these simple guidelines in his everyday life.

References:

Love to Know. "Types of Pollution". Accessed May 16 

2014. http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Types_of_Pollution

Water Pollution Guide. "The Water Pollution Guide". Accessed May 16th 2014. http://www.water-pollution.org.uk/

WWF Global. "Water Pollution". Accessed May 16 2014. http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/teacher_resources/webfieldtrips/water_pollution/