Geography School Based Assessment 2014

8/12/2019 Geography School Based Assessment 2014

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W h a t a r e t h e c a u s e s o f p o l l u t i o n i n t h e C a r o n i S w a m p ?

2014

Name : Rahul Mistry

Canidate Number:

Name of School: ASJA Boys College San Fernando

Centre Number:

GEOGRAPHY SCHOOL BASED ASSESSMENT 2014


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TABLE OF CONTENTS


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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.


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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 eastof

the Caroni Swamp is the Uriah butler Highway (formerly known as the Princess Margaret

Highway ), which was built on reclaimed land from the swamp itson 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).


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METHODOLOGY

The field study was conducted on the date of the 21stof 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.


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PRESENTATION OF DATA

Figure 1. Table Showing Results Of

Site 1 Site 2 Site 3

Nitrate / PPM 3 2 5

Turbidity/ JTU 5 90 70

pH 8.14 8.41 8.27

Temperture/ CAmbient 33 37.5 30

Water 30 29 31

Figure 2. Graph Showing Nitrates


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

Figure 4. Graph Showing Ph level.


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Figure 5. Graph Showing Temperature in C


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Figure 6. Table Showing 50m Transect.

Site 1 Site 2 Site 3

Styrofoam 0 8 42

Plastic Bottles 0 20 20

Aluminum cans 0 3 2

Tires 0 5 2

Glass Bottles 0 15 3

Cigarette Packs 0 4 1

Rubber i tems 0 1 2

Plastic items 0 17 8

Old Appli ances 0 0 2

Sunken Boats 0 2 0

Heaps of used

Coconuts0 0 7


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

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


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Figure 9. Showing Proof test were done.


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Figure 10. Showing Caroni Swamp


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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.


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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.


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Bibliography

The Caribbean Environment for CXC Geography by Mark Wilson, 2005

Geography School Based Assessment 2014

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