Pollution caused by v.i.p
Vagrants
in Public (V.I.P)
Piccadilly Street Port of Spain
(This picture was taken from this angle because it wasunsafe to be in close proximity to the vagrants)
The morning begins with
a honk and vroom from vehicles, signaling the start of another day living on
the streets. This is a regular eye soar for passers-by seeing destitute and
homeless people roaming through the city streets. Vagrants often occupy park
benches, pavements and lawns relaxing during the day. There are some who leave
their cardboard shelters to walk around hoping to receive a helping hand. Permanent
residents of the city, vagrants are usually dressed in tattered clothes, with a
smelly stench and an unpleasant disposition. They are public figures that the
average citizen refuses to encounter because of fear from being beaten, mocked,
spat on and harassed for money or food. Most of these nomadic beggars endure
either social or medical issues from neglect, poverty, mental conditions, and
drug abuse to low self-esteem (Wyly and Hammel 2010).
In Port of Spain the
street dwellers often loiter around Frederick Street, in and around the Brain
Lara Promenade and others settle for public lots near Piccadilly Street and
Independence Avenue. Although some vagrants choose abandon buildings and public
facilities to live most of them relieve themselves outdoors on the streets and
sidewalks. Besides the feces and urine waste, vagrants leave behind food, cardboard
boxes, clothing and rubbish strewed upon the city streets.
Vagrant in Port of Spain
When vagrants dump
their domestic and human waste everywhere the result of their actions cause
widespread diseases, rodents infestations and various forms of pollution.
Vagrancy contributes mainly to water and land pollution. Do you know that domestic rubbish and
discarded materials can clog drainage systems, litter the environment and
attract vermin? Further, human filth and solid waste can contaminate water
courses, contribute to flash flooding, emit unpleasant odors tarnishing the
natural beauty of our environment. Government officials need to edict policies
to deal with the escalating problems associated with vagrancy in the city. The
indiscriminate disposal of rubbish, food and human waste by street dwellers is
polluting our capital city. We need to keep a clean and healthy scene. It is
hoped that your next visit to Port of Spain wouldn’t mean darting around “poo”,
getting a curse, being rubbed or shielding a strike from a vagrant. The time
has come to get the relevant authorities to move vagrants out of the city and
into shelters.
Human Geography is at
the center of why homelessness is an important aspect of the city which most of
the time is neglected in urban planning and policies. Geographies of homeless
people addresses many areas of concerns such as social exclusion, and access to
adequate housing particularly in urban public spaces. Homeless people or vagrants
arises from a various issues such as personal failings which includes illness,
illegal activities, and absence of family or unemployment (Wyly and Hammel
2010). For some it’s just the inability to afford a basic home, but resorts to
living in a makeshift structure. These problems makes persons feel socially
excluded and unwanted in society. They feel marginalized or separated from the
accepted groups in society along with the feeling of neglect. On a daily basis
homeless persons faces insult, embracement, and discrimination escalating the
feeling of being rejected by society.
Furthermore, many
people face inequalities in accessing housing in the city. This is a major
issue for cities worldwide failure to adequately meeting the housing demands
for a growing population (Hall and Barrett 2012). However, the city dwellers
who are in need of a home are the ones of the lower income groups in the city.
The issue of affordability now underpins the housing crisis in cities and
governments resort to providing low cost housing below market rents (Hall and
Barrett 2012). This however does not totally solve the housing crisis in cities
since there are still homeless people on the streets due to affordability
problems. Homelessness within cities is an issue that would continue to persist
as the homeless populations are said to be “highly mobile and fluid moving
around the city” (Hall and Barrett 2012, 276).
Homelessness within
cities presents the need for governments to review urban planning and policies
to address this issue. It also presents the need for governments to establish
programs, social welfare groups and funding for the homeless by ensuring proper
housing, accommodation and welfare help.
The homeless must be recognized as part of the city’s population and
their need should be met!
For more information
further reading can be done:
- In India the homeless population causes a serious sanitation problem by defecating their waste in open spaces and pollution the air in urban areas. The majority of homeless persons in India are unable to pay for washroom facilities so the only option is utilizing public spaces as toilets. This results in the spreading of diseases, exposure to germicidal invasions and unsanitary conditions.
- There has been attempts by the Mayor to remove vagrants from streets in the capital city of Port of Spain. However, some people stated that vagrants are entitle to rights of freedom and such actions where imposing on their rights. On the other hand, voiced their opinions on reasons why vagrant are seen in such manner. This brought the debate on whether these people can be termed as homeless or vagrants
- .
References
Wyly,Elvin and Dan
Hammel. 2010. “Homelessness”. Introduction
to Urban Geography. Accessed April 5, 2014. http://www.geog.ubc.ca/~ewyly/g350/homeless.pdf
Hall, Tim. and Heather Barrett.
(2012). Urban Geography 4th
edition. London and New York: Routledge
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