Water Pollution by Oil Spills and Accidental Release in Trinidad and Tobago - Essay Example

Water Pollution by Oil Spills and Accidental Release in Trinidad and Tobago Environmental pollution has been on the risein the recent years. Human activities have increased and have seemed to be turning a blind eye to the effects they are causing to their environments with their actions. To satisfy their wants, humans have opted to destroy the most precious part, the environment which is considerably turning out to be unfavorable for life support. From deforestation, mining activities, industrial release, chemical use on farms and other numerous human activities, the environment has received great pollution, with these activities being short term for humans, but causing long term effects to the environment. Water bodies are the most frequently polluted sites from human activities. They also suffer the final stroke from other pollution activities, the final deposition point of all pollutants are at the water bodies. Oil spills and accidental release of pollutants are common in water bodies. From spillage from water machineries, factory release and other machinery activities which end up releasing oil to the water have constantly been experienced. This document analyses oil spills and accidental release to the Trinidad and Tobago water bodies and suggests ways on how the problem can be solved. Trinidad and Tobago have high sensitivity in the environmental sector especially on the water bodies. The two islands have high oil related activities both on the land and in the surrounding water. Oil spillage has been continuous in these islands. In 1979, an 8th largest oil spill in history occurred ten miles off Tobago. A large crude carrier, Atlantic Empress sailing from Saudi Arabia to Beaumont, Texas collided with a Greek supertanker Aegean Captain which was sailing from Aruba on its way to Singapore. Due to heavy rains and fog, they could not see each other until they were 500 meters apart, which was too late for a change of course by either ships, the collision occurred causing fire and oil spillage. It was reported that after a week, Empress sank, having spilled around 287,000 metric tonnes of crude oil to the surrounding Caribbean Sea (Gillis, 52). The area is still at risk with about 4 million barrels being transported over the surrounding water daily and Gulf of Paria having the largest number of oil tankers in the western world. Gulf of Paria has experienced constant oil seepages to the waters. The spillage has caused great effects to the biophysical environment and the creatures living in it. A seabird was shown in the event of the oil spillage, covered in oil making it difficult to swim or fly. The mangroves at the south coast of Trinidad, Rousillac/Otaheite mangrove forest have also been affected by the spill. These are not just the effects of oil spillage, only these have been noticed so far. There are so many sea creatures affected by a slight change in metallic content of their surrounding water. Fish and other seafood caught in the affected water contain heavy metals in their bodies, making it not safe for human consumption. As the metal content also increases, they cannot take any more causing major death to the sea creatures. The migration of sea animals away from affected areas also detriments the sea resources to the country. Tourism is affected; focus is given to Soldado Rock Wildlife Sanctuary near the coast of Icacos will definitely be affected in the long run by the oil spillage (Maharaj, 32). Beaches are also contaminated making it not favorable for human bathing. Tourists who come to the islands to experience the sweet beaches would be turned off. Oil spillage also causes introduction of micro bacteria into the water bodies, the bacteria feeding on this metals will increase in number. These bacteria do not favor existence of some sea species which could be helpful to humans. The water also becomes toxic to vegetation on the land depending on the sea water for their existence. This affects agricultural practices around the water bodies. The effects from oil spillage does not just affect the environment, it also has effects on the socio economic environment. Lack of fish and sea creatures which normally serve as source of income to most fishermen in the area affects the economic growth of the society. Contaminated water also causes waterborne diseases such as gastroenteritis, dysentery and typhoid. This adversely affects the immunity of the residents causing them to spend more on health matters. The use of detergents to clean up the spills may even further these effects causing death or migration of the residents. Efforts to curb oil spillage have been put in place to try and solve the environmental distress problem. Prevention measures reducing chances of oil spillage have been put in place, first, human activities causing spillage or dumping pollutants to water should be highly discouraged, high penalties to persons found should be imposed. Another measure is to build double hulls into vessels instead of a single hull vessel; this reduces chances of spillage in case of a collision. Rail road transport tanks should also be thick. Government contingency plans to control 340 oil-producing wells lying offshore by regulated permits for facilities. This helps to ensure the wells meet the environmental conservation standards before being allowed to function. Clean up and recovery measures have also been implemented after the occurrence of a spillage. They are difficult and mainly depends on type of oil spilt, water temperatures, type of shorelines and the depth of water. Bioremediation is the most used clean up method. It uses micro bacteria such as bacteria Alcanivorax to break down the metals on the water bodies. Controlled burning in low winds can also reduce the oil over water, although it causes air pollution. Dispersants can also be used to dissipate oil slicks by separating the oil molecules preventing clumping. A natural method also is to watch and wait. It might be more advantageous for a natural way of clean up than to add chemicals which can have more negatives than positives. Dredging is another method used on oil by using other detergents denser than water. Other methods may include skimming, solidifying and vacuum and centrifuge where water is sucked together with oil separated then water is returned. All these methods may seem effective in the long run. Bioremediation has been effectively used in most cases. The bacteria used are always harmless and will die after exhausting the metal molecules in the water bodies. This may be the solution but what is most effective is the prevention method. It is always better to prevent than to cure, the government should implement the strict policies on the wells. Those dumping to the water bodies should be warned and even imprisoned. I would recommend a stern action be taken on the tankers using the surrounding water. They are the main cause of water pollution in Trinidad and Tobago; their water use should be regulated. A speed limit and time of sail should be provided. Tankers also should be thoroughly inspected, before being allowed to use the surrounding waters and only at the best weather conditions. Environmental conservation should be the backbone of every individual in the society. Water is the important factor in our lives. The aquatic ecosystems also serve an important part of our food and income. Destroying our water bodies is like performing a suicide. We should take up a protective approach to the water bodies’ conservation; protect them from unwanted accidents causing oil spills and some careless people dumping to the water bodies. Works cited Paryag, A., Paryag, A. S., Rafeek, R. N., & Pilgrim, A. Mercury Pollution from Dental Amalgam Waste in Trinidad and Tobago. Scientific Research, 2010. Print Maharaj, U., Fletcher, S., & Meade, K. Integrating the Management of Watersheds and Coastal Areas in Trinidad and Tobago. Organization of American States, 2014. Print Office of the Auditor General of Canada. Government of Canada. Office of the Auditor General Of Canada, 2007. Print Campbell, Robertson and Clifford, Krauss. “Gulf Spill Is the Largest of Its Kind, Scientists Say” The New York Times. New York Times, 2010. Print Gillis, Carly. Atlantic Empress and Aegean Captain Oil Spill: A Brief History. Counter Spill, 2011. Print Read More