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There is always the saying that Trinidad and Tobago's landfills are nearing capacity, so will we have to find a new area to utilize??? It seems some citizens have began to use the Guapo River in Point Fortin as their landfill, as is seen in the photos above.
Illegal dumping is prevalent here, as trucks use the track shown in photo 1, to cross the river and dump their contents in the bushes behind. however much of the refuse also falls onto the river bank and the rivers course. Since most of these materials are not biodegradable it poses serious threats to the ecosystems health. Risks such as flooding also come into question with the build up of materials in this slow meandering lower course stream.
This raises the point made by Rees(1992) who stated that the developing countries will place higher emphasis on development, and less on the ecological repercussions. Indeed there will be repercussions as the chemicals released by the reuse will enter marine organisms. Bio-accumulation and bio-magnification can then directly affect humans as the concentrations of these chemicals builds up in these organisms over time, and consumption will allow the chemicals to enter our bodies.
The second series of photographs depicts other activities at the same site, opposite the location where the illegal dumping occurs, is an oil sand quarry. This quarry also affects the river as its runoff effluent is seen on the river's surface as slicks of oil (photos 8 and 9). The close proximity of this industry to a water course adds more danger to the ecosystem.
Watch the grammar and typos - detracts from some good ideas.
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