CARIBBEAN EXAMINATION COUNCIL (C.X.

C)

CARIBBEAN SECONDARY SCHOOL CERTIFICATION (C.S.E.C)

ENGLISH

SCHOOL BASED ASSIGNMENT (S.B.A)

NAME: Ashawni Patterson

TEACHER: Miss Shirley

SCHOOL: School of Excellence

CENTRE NUMBER:

CANDIDATE NUMBER:

TERRITORY: JAMAICA

YEAR OF EXAMINATION: 2019

THEME: Pollution

TOPIC: Land Pollution

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Pages

Plan of Investigation 1

Piece # 1 2

Piece # 2 4

Piece # 3 7

Reflection 1 9

Reflection 2 10

Reflection 3 11

Written Report 12
 Plan of Investigation

My group choose Pollution as our theme of investigation for my School Based Assignment. I

decided to research and analyze information on the Land Pollution. Which made land pollution

my topic. I chose this topic because I see where land pollution is a big problem in Jamaica, and I

want to find out more about how to lessen and probably stop it. For my three pieces I chose two

articles, and a poem that speaks about land pollution in Jamaica. As an English language student,

I expect to benefit by expanding my vocabulary, knowledge and analytical skills from doing this

project. I would also like to mature as a person and become more focused.

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 Piece #1

Land pollution is defined as the degradation of Earth’s land surfaces often caused by human
activities and their misuse of land resources. Land pollution can be noted in many different ways.
These include solid waste, pesticides and fertilizers, and deforestation. Solid waste includes all
the various kinds of rubbish we make at home, school, hospitals, markets and work places.
Things like paper, plastic containers, bottles, cans, food and even used cars and broken electronic
goods, broken furniture and hospital waste. Solid waste can be biodegradable and non-
biodegradable. Being degradable means, it can easily be broken down to organic matter.
Pesticides and fertilizers are chemicals used by farmers to kill pest that pray on their crop and to
achieve higher crop yield. Yes, this practice can be good because it enhances the level of crop a
farmer will produce. But let’s think about where these pesticides go after being placed on crops
and soil. They end up washed away by rain which leads it straight into our rivers, lakes etc. By
this happening over a period of time humans will be endangered by the one thing we need to
survive, WATER. We depend on trees for many reasons, one of those main reasons being life.
Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air and enrich the air with oxygen which we need to
survive. Trees also provide habitats for small land animals, insects and birds. Over the year’s
humans have been cutting down trees to make houses, books or even getting rid of acres of lands
to build housing. During all of this we have lost most of our clean air, animals have lost their
homes and soil erosion has occurred.
An article published in the Jamaica Gleaner on September 23, 2013 stated that the issue arising
concerning land pollution is its effect on our drinking water, ground water and the agricultural
sector of Jamaica. It also stated that our livestock will be affected and human life in general
because we all live on land. In addition, if human beings consume the meat from livestock and
they are infected because of the water they drink, human beings will contract the diseases as
well, and it may even worsen in humans. The writer suggested that all nations need to come
together and invest heavily in environment-friendly activities because pollution will be the
greatest threat ahead. There needs to be major national clean-ups globally and the First-World
nations must necessarily invest in smaller countries, because all nations are connected
environmentally. To prevent land pollution he suggested that Garbage dumps need to be
removed from urban areas, more tanks need to be built to cultivate fresh fish in order to sustain
good health, give more training in schools at all levels – from primary to tertiary – on dealing

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 with environmental issues and hazards and to protect and secure the water catchment areas and
tanks. But apart from that we can use these four simple steps:
1. Reduce
2. Re-use
3. Recycle
4. Compost
The greatest prevention to land pollution is in the three ‘R’s’, reduce waste, re-use things and
recycle things. This is true even for governments. They can also use the three ‘R’ rule to
minimize the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. After the three ‘R’s, remember to turn the
rest of the garbage into compost. Other ways of preventing land pollution include buy
biodegradable products, store all liquid chemicals and waste in spill-proof containers, eat organic
foods that are grown without pesticides, don’t use pesticides if you can, use a drip tray to collect
engine oil, buy products that have little packaging, and don’t dump motor oil on the ground. So,
let us do our part and follow these simple rules so that we can make our country a better place for
us to live.

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4
 Piece #2

Other Impacts

Although flooding was identified as one of the more immediate and visible problems associated

with garbage in the South Gully, there are several other associated negative impacts affecting

Montego Bay. The pile up of garbage in the South Gully and other parts of the town, has been

blamed for increases in flies, rats, roaches and mosquitoes, all of which are disease vectors. In a

2012 Gleaner article, rat infestation in sections of Montego Bay was described as a “constant

battle” Figure 10: Flooding in Montego Bay (February 2016) 18 for the Food Storage and

Prevention of Infestation Division’s Western Branch (Flemming, Pesky Rats in Montego Bay,

2012)9 . In April 2016, the Jamaica Observer reported that the St. James Public Health

Department was embarking on a massive rodent eradication programme, in an effort to rid the

streets of Montego Bay of rat infestation (Hines, 2016)10. A total of J$4 million had been set

aside by TEF and the St James Parish Council (SJPC) to fund the initiative. Montego Bay’s

garbage problem has also made its way to the coast and out to sea. Many attractions along

Montego Bay’s coast constantly clean up garbage to maintain their properties (see Figure 12).

Visitors and locals who venture further out to sea by boat, scuba diving or snorkeling also found

large quantities of garbage deposited on the seafloor and reefs all along Montego Bay’s

coastline. In a letter to the Gleaner published March 18, 2014 titled ‘Diving at dirty Doctor’s

Cave,’ a concerned citizen wrote: “I'm disgusted at the filth I consistently see under the water at

the beaches in Montego Bay.” (The Gleaner, 2014)11 9 Flemming, B. (2012, October 12). Pesky

Rats in Montego Bay. Retrieved from The Gleaner: http://jamaica-

gleaner.com/gleaner/20121012/lead/lead9.htm 10 Hines, H. (2016, April 28). Rat attack!

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Retrieved from Jamaica Observer: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/westernnews/Rat-attack--

_59116 11 The Gleaner. (2014, March 18). Diving at Dirty Doctor's Cave. Retrieved from The

Gleaner: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20140318/letters/letters3.html Figure 11: Garbage

in the South Gully and its tributaries provide a perfect breeding ground for pests 19 The solid,

liquid and human waste also has significant impacts on water quality and the health of the coastal

ecosystem in the bay surrounding the town. According to Joshua Bailey, Research and Outreach

Officer at the MBMP, the run-off that reached the sea by way of drains and gullies was often

filled with garbage and nutrients, which promoted the growth of algae causing degradation of

coral reefs (Flemming, MoBay Waters to Get Quality Test, 2014)12. Garbage was also often

mistaken for food by marine life (especially marine mammals and sea turtles), posing risks of

choking, a feeling of fullness resulting in starvation, and entanglement. Toxic chemicals from

solid (e.g. plastic) and liquid waste (e.g. sewage) can also be absorbed by fish and other marine

life, contaminating the food chain.

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 Piece #3

I gave you food, land to live and many other happiness.

But now it's your turn.

Your turn to fight for my freedom.

Fight against my deterioration.

Fight against my degradation.

Fight against all of the problems that you are doing on me.

Without working out, I know you cannot make my wish come true.

Dream of seeing the clear environment with beautiful forest, birds,

animals and you.

Living happily in relations we used to do.

Don't try to harm me, don't make me anxious.

Using those chemicals don't rise my pressure high.

I may burst out, crushing your houses, punching you down.

Leading offensive disasters.

I am your mother. I gave everything you desired for

But please, don't use those chemicals which kills my heart.

Stops my breath.

I know. You needed me in past.

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Using me in present.

And will be needing me in future,

Your love, your hatred upon me.

I gave you food, shelter, everything else.

Please stop your worthless rule upon me.

Pollutions, landslide, disasters can die out,

Only if your revolutions can cry out,

Revolutions of making me happy and free as before

I'll love you back again, again from the core.

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 Reflection 1

After collecting all my pieces [Two articles and a poem] and evaluating them, they have

opened my eyes to the seriousness of Land Pollution. Of course, I would travel in cars and see

landfills and the act of individuals improperly disposing of their garbage, but I was never sure on

how it affected my country. All three sources enhanced my understanding of the problem which

is land pollution and how it greatly affects the country.

My first source defines land pollution as the degradation of Earth’s land surfaces often

caused by human activities and their misuse of land resources. It also speaks about how pollution

on the land affects the sea and life on land. It states that debris from the land can kill fishes and

pollute water ways. Not only solid waste but also chemicals such as pesticides and one dumped

out by factories. Reading this article made me understand how dangerous pollution can be to

wildlife and marine life. I was surprised but all effects that land pollution has on animals

My second source speaks of how land pollution affects we the people of Jamaica. It speaks of

the clogging of the gullies which in term lead to flooding and the pile up of garbage in the gullies

can lead to an increase in flies, rats, roaches and mosquitoes however to terminate these creatures

would incur a hefty price. I was greatly uneased by this piece of information. Just thinking of the

creatures, it brings influences me to try my best to put a stop to it.

My third source, which is the poem, gives the reader an image of how the land is reacting to

land pollution. This poem is portraying the worlds pain felt through the pollution diseases that

may spread through livestock. This piece has mainly made me understand land pollutions effect

on human life itself and on the earth, also how we will slowly end our own lives through diseases

caused by land pollution.

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 Reflection 2

The use of language in my first two pieces [articles] is informative. This is seen because the

writer is stating facts about Land Pollution and informing us about the effects of it. The writer

also uses formal language. This was realized after noticing the absence of slangs and informal

terms in both pieces. It could also be said that the writer uses a tone of great concern for the state

of the land.

My last source [poem] uses poetic language to try and put the reader in the earth’s point of

view. The poem is written in standard English and can also be considered informative since in

reading, we are learning more about land pollution. All three sources gave ample amounts of

information on the effects of Land pollution on society. They give the reader a full idea of what

he\she is trying to say even though two of them are concise.

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 Reflection 3

Doing this S.B.A has really helped me to grow as a student. It has helped me to develop my

analytical and research skills, it has also helped me to broaden my vocabulary. My knowledge on

Land Pollution has also been magnified.

This S.B.A has helped me to develop my skills as a group member, which helped me to be

more focused and head strong when doing my school work and working with others in my

group. My communication and social skills have improved during the duration of this project

because I had to explain my progress to my teacher and if I had any problems interacting with

my group members also having to be patient with them because I was moving at faster pace than

them.

Over the period of doing my S.B.A I have become more mindful of land pollution and

pollution on a whole. I have realized my doing the right things when it comes on to garbage

disposal. I now alert others of their wrongful actions and teach them the better way to go about

disposing their garbage. I have matured indefinitely as a student and a as an individual.

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 Written Report

For our portfolio, the theme Pollution was chosen it consists of materials from each group

member which gives a broad understanding of the impact of Pollution on the Caribbean and the

world over. The three members within the group all gathered information and narrowed down

the theme into three topics we formulated our topics by analysis and help from our teacher.

Our first source defines land pollution as the degradation of Earth’s land surfaces often caused

by human activities and their misuse of land resources. It also speaks about how pollution on the

land affects the sea and life on land. It states that debris from the land can kill fishes and pollute

water ways. Not only solid waste but also chemicals such as pesticides and one dumped out by

factories. Reading this article made me understand how dangerous pollution can be to wildlife

and marine life. I was surprised but all effects that land pollution has on animals

The second source talks about the effect that noise pollution have on the health of people.

Chronic noise caused by playing loud music and the cars on the road plays an effective role

health wise towards ourselves. Reading the article on the study by The European Cardiology

Review by Thomas Münzel and Mette Sørensen show us how much of an impact loud noise has

on us, it doesn't only affect our hearing but also our blood pressure. Study shows that people

living in areas with overly loud noises blood pressure is higher than people living in quieter

places.

In conclusion my

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 References

http://www.jamentrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Binder1.pdf

https://sustaintourvybz.wordpress.com/2014/11/20/its-all-about-the-land/

https://tunza.eco-generation.org/resourcesView.jsp?boardID=worldReport&viewID=43174

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