Prevention is better than cure

A snapshot of the litter on Charlotte Street, Port-of-Spain.

(Photo taken by Brendon Taylor, April 01, 2016)

       You have probably heard the expression "cleanliness is next to godliness" at some point in your lifetime. Although this statement is not explicitly found in scripture, if it is true then Port-of-Spain cannot be considered a "godly city". Walking along the streets of the city, we observed the improper disposal of waste along the sidewalks and the gutters of the roads. The photo taken above is just a snapshot of what was seen. Objects comprising the waste including plastic bottles, Styrofoam containers of food, plastic wrappers and plastic as well as paper bags. It would seem as if pedestrians and motorists traversing the city clear their conscience by believing that one piece of waste can do no harm or that someone will clean the mess made. This is not to say that each individual who passes through the city is guilty of contributing to the garbage on the streets.  Rather, it is a call for the members of our society who display negligence to be more aware of the ramifications of their actions.

       From an environmental perspective, the improper disposal of waste facilitates the introduction of vermin carrying diseases which threaten public health and the problem has already materialized. In July 2015, Mayor Tim Kee Raymond developed an initiative for the eradication of rodents in the city. The mayor narrowed-down the major contributors to litter and indiscriminate refuse on the streets to be illegal vendors, homeless individuals searching for a meal and lawless pedestrians. Recognizing that untidy surroundings would breed diseases and bacteria, the mayor reinforced the need for the TT $2 million initiative and the increase in the police complement on the streets of the city from approximately 60 to 120 officers. (Loubon, 2015) In addition, the improper disposal of waste has severely hindered the process of drainage when rainfall events occur over the city. It is common knowledge among citizens that the drainage system of the city is in need of an upgrade but this is not the main issue. In 2004, The Drainage Committee Chairman of the Board of Engineering emphasized the need for individual citizens to keep the drains of the city clean which was previously implored in the same year by the director of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Dave Williams. (Best, 2004) More than a decade later, our society is still struggling to understand that prevention is better than cure. In fact, our recollection of angry citizens blaming the government for not adequately maintaining the drainage system of the city during flooding in the latter part of 2015 is a testimony of the lack of understanding.    

  

       From an urban geographer's perspective, the improper disposal of waste has decreased the value of public spaces in the city. In a developing world, public spaces have been under threat because of the lack of expansion of park and open space systems. Declining expansion of public spaces has been a result of the changing perceptions of individuals, both national governments and regular citizens on their value. Further compounding the negative perceptions of people has been the invasion of the spaces by the homeless, the presence of graffiti, trash and vandalism. (Bannerjee, 2001) Ironically, as much as it appears that no one wants to maintain the cleanliness of the streets, no one wants to spend time in a polluted area where there are piles of garbage and rodents present. For this reason, the pollution of the streets can also can be linked to the retreat of the upper and middle class to the outskirts of the city. The streets gated communities of the suburbs are the definition of a contrast when compared to the streets of urban spaces. But why is this? Our educated is informed by Mycoo (2006) who states the members of gated communities in Trinidad are involved in self-governance or micro-governance. They ensure that they provide their own goods and services for their satisfaction which include ensuring that the streets of their communities are clean.

       In a similar manner, the wider society needs to take responsibility for their actions and simply keep the streets clear of garbage. It is time to stop depending on the service provided by the government to clean up the mess.     

References

Bannerjee, Tridib. 2001. "The future of public spaces: Beyond invented streets and reinvented places". Journal of the American Planning Association: Winter 67 (1): 9-24.

Best, Gerard. 2004. " Why Port of Spain floods". Accessed April 01, 2016. https://gerardbest.wordpress.com/2004/12/03/why-port-of-spain-floods/.

Loubon, Michelle. 2015. " Tim Kee: $2m to wipe out city’s rats". Daily Express. Accessed April 01, 2016. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20150717/news/tim-kee-2m-to-wipe-out-city8217s-rats.

Mycoo, Michelle. 2006. "The retreat of the upper and middle classes to gated communities in the poststructual adjustment era: the case of Trinidad". Environment and Planning 38: 131-148. doi: 10.1068/a37323.