GEOGRAPHY SCHOOL BASED ASSESSMENT 2014

Name : Rahul Mistry Canidate Number: Name of School: ASJA Boys College San Fernando Centre Number:

2014

What are the causes of pollution in the Caroni Swamp?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AIM OF STUDY
What are the causes of pollution in the Caroni Swamp?
I have selected the topic Pollution as my topic since its a continuing international problem and it is essential for my S.B.A for Geography. Pollution is a global threat that is noticed in everyday life and has a major impact non-beneficial to the environment. It is one of the biggest problems the world faces today. It is a big matter which is disturbing us economically, physically and in our daily lives. The Caroni Swamp has been chosen as my place of study since its the second largest mangrove wetland that is located in Trinidad which is also a major tourist attraction and experiences many factors of Pollution from its surroundings whether it is from industries to us causing it.

LOCATION OF STUDY
It is located on the west coast of Trinidad, south of Port of Spain and northwest of Chaguanas, where the Caroni River meets the Gulf of Paria. The geographical coordinates of the location are West 61 degrees 27 minutes North 10 degrees 35 minutes (W 61 27 N 10 35).On the east of the Caroni Swamp is the Uriah butler Highway (formerly known as the Princess Margaret Highway ), which was built on reclaimed land from the swamp its on the west by the Gulf of Paria and on the South by the Chandernagore River which can been seen in Map 1 (Fig 1.) The swamp is located south of Port of Spain with a distance of 16.4km between them as the swamp is located north of San Fernando with a distance of 42.7km between them of both which can also be seen in Map1 (Fig 1).

METHODOLOGY
The field study was conducted on the date of the 21st of May 2013. We departed from ASJA boys College at 8:30am and travelled towards the Solomon Hochoy highway and then made our way onto the Uriah Butler Highway to reach the overpass at Caroni. On arrival at the Caroni Visitor Center at 9:05am we appreciated a small tour of the area and were educated about the inhabitants of the Caroni swamp and its historical background. The expedition from as ASJA Boys College to the destination (Caroni Swamp Visitor Centre) took approximately 45 minutes. At 10:00am we boarded the boat directed by our friendly tour guide Khemraj Bagan of Nanans tours. We made our way to the inner part of the swamp along the number 9 drain of the Caroni swamp. We took a short stop while going along the river, where we were provided information about the swamp and the activities of the swamp by Mr Khemraj Bagan where he answered our questions and informed us on the history of the Caroni Swamp and how factors affected the swamp. We then began our path back along the river going more deep within the river where we arrived at our first site (site 1), this was the Bird Viewing site where we arrived about 10:30am then onto site 2 around 11.15am where the boat was able to dock (Boat Shed). Finally around 12.30am to the third site (site 3) where the swamp meets drain 9 this is also the entrance of drain 9.At all these 3 sites Measurements were all taken. At every stop or location we took measurements and readings of the Nitrate level, Temperature of the air and water, turbidity and 50m transect of all physical waste material that was seen anywhere in the swamp. Sketches and photographs were also taken of the swamp. The data was collected using equipment such as Nitrate test kit , Turbidity test kit , thermometers, measuring tape , pH meter , Distilled water, Sampling bottle , Sketch map , note pad , Sketching pencils and cameras. The various test that were conducted were test for nitrate levels , test for pH levels , test for turbidity of water , turbidity of ambient water , test for temperature and data collected for 50m transect . After all test were conducted at site 3 around 12:45 we finished all test and headed back.

PRESENTATION OF DATA

Figure 1. Table Showing Results Of

Site 1 Nitrate / PPM Turbidity/ JTU pH Temperture/ C 3 5 8.14 Ambient 33 Water 30 Site 2 2 90 8.41 37.5 29 Site 3 5 70 8.27 30 31

Figure 2. Graph Showing Nitrates

Figure 3. Graph Showing Turbidity Of Sites 1,2,3.

Figure 4. Graph Showing Ph level.

Figure 5. Graph Showing Temperature in C

Figure 6. Table Showing 50m Transect.

Site 1 Styrofoam Plastic Bottles Aluminum cans Tires Glass Bottles Cigarette Packs Rubber items Plastic items Old Appliances Sunken Boats Heaps of used Coconuts 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Site 2 8 20 3 5 15 4 1 17 0 2 0 Site 3 42 20 2 2 3 1 2 8 2 0 7

Figure 7. Pie Chart of 50m Transect at Site 2

Figure 8. Pie Chart Showing 50m Transect At Site 3

Figure 9. Showing Proof test were done.

Figure 10. Showing Caroni Swamp

ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

The day before the field study had experienced for most of the day cloudy rainy weather. This conditions might have played a big role on the results like the 50m transect because waste material and debris may have moved from the higher part of the river downstream to the lower part of the river. The day the field study took place had normal weather condition as it was only partially cloudy with some dark clouds but no rain Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by individual particles (suspended solids) that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of water quality. From the data that was collected from the readings, we noticed that site 1 has the lowest turbidity compared to the three sites and site 2 had the highest turbidity reading. Turbidity can be caused by any of the following reasons human activities that disturb land, such as construction, mining and agriculture, can lead to high sediment levels entering water bodies during rain storms due to storm water runoff. Areas prone to high bank erosion rates as well as urbanized areas also contribute large amounts of turbidity to nearby waters, through storm water pollution from paved surfaces such as roads, bridges and parking lots. Certain industries such as quarrying, mining and coal recovery can generate very high levels of turbidity from colloidal rock particles. There are many consequences of high turbidity. One being that the suspended particles absorb heat from the sunlight, making turbid water warmer, reducing the concentration of oxygen in the water. Due to the rise in temperature of the water some organisms die. Another consequence is when particles settle to the bottom of swamps; it causes swamps to become clogged up. It may also cause damage to the gill structure of fishes. The differences of turbidity at each site may be due to the accessibility of the sites to the public, heavy rainfall as well as the amount of urban runoff. pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline. Pure water has a pH very close to 7. The pH scale is traceable to a set of standard solutions whose pH is established by international agreement. Primary pH standard values are determined using a concentration cell with transference, by measuring the potential difference between a hydrogen electrode and a standard electrode such as the silver chloride electrode. Measurement of pH for aqueous solutions can be done with a glass electrode and a pH meter, or using indicators. pH levels in swamps, rivers and lakes can be affected by chemicals in the water. Pollution can change waters pH making it more acidic or alkaline. The regular range of pH appropriate for rivers, swamps and lakes is 6-8. From the statistics gathered the pH of the locations range form 8-8.5 which is somewhat above the range but it is not too high to cause damaging effects to the water and the organisms living in the water.

The site with the highest nitrate level is site 3 and the lowest was site 2. Algae and other florae use nitrate as a basis of nourishment. If algae have an abundance of nitrate their development is. Due to this effect Eutrophication takes place. Eutrophication is the ecosystem response to the addition of artificial or natural substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, through fertilizers or sewage, to an aquatic system. Negative environmental effects include hypoxia, the depletion of oxygen in the water, which induces reductions in specific fish and other animal populations. Nitrates in water bodies can come from fertilizers that are used to promote the growth of plants that is washed from the rice fields to swamp. Nitrates can also come from animal waste and untreated human sewage. A 50 meter transect was taken at each site with site 1 being the freshest of all three sites. Sites 2 and 3 were contaminated as it was filled with piles of debris and trash. This can be produced by human availability to each site as well as manufacturing pollution also garbage can be washed down from the upper course of the settlement. Some industries that add to pollution of the swamp are the Beetham WASA waste water treatment plant, Carib Brewery in Champs Fleur and the landfill. One industry that has contributed to majority of the pollution in Caroni swamp was Caricom 1975 limited which focused on the production of sugar. This factory has been shut down and because of this there has been a substantial reduction on the level of trash at the Swamp.

CONCLUSION
From the test results obtained for nitrate levels , test for pH levels , test for turbidity of water , turbidity of ambient water , test for temperature, there seem to be a low pollution level but when the 50m Transect was results were found it was seen that there a very high level of solid waste in the areas that were directly affected by human activity. From this project, factors seen that affected pollution were external factors such as industries, landfills, settlements, rice fields and more. These test that were conducted at ONLY number 9 drain were not enough as we only covered a small area of the entire swamp which would have led to inaccurate results also. Also not enough test were conducted as if we had more time we would have been able to carry out more test such as Visual Surveys and Biological sampling.

Bibliography
The Caribbean Environment for CXC Geography by Mark Wilson, 2005