Environmental Problems.

Pollution of air:

• Major problem in most developing world cities.
• The drive to industrialization brings with it inevitable problems, especially as legislation to protect the environment is often non-existent or rarely enforced.
• The hidden economy can add to the levels of pollution as small, unlicensed industries are set up in peoples homes or on rooftops. These industries release their pollutants into the air, land and water.
• Air in Mexico City is so poor that breathing it is like smoking 60 cigarettes a day
• Poisonous gas explosions at Bhapal killed 3300 people and seriously injured 150 000

• Photochemical smog formation closely related to urban sprawl

• Not caused by traffic alone-factories, waste, incinerators and power plants produce pollutants, especially were industrial plants are old
• Some specialist chemical pollution-dangers of explosions etc
• Issued of acid deposition

Solutions:

• Closure of old factories and importation of clean technology, e.g filters, use of cleaner fuel, not coal or wood
• Cars can be fitted with catalytic converters, use of un-leaded petrol
• Movement from private transport to public-this is an example of green transport planning. This will reduce the release of harmful chemicals such as Carbon Monoxide (which can attach to the red blood cells and cause serious lung problems and even death), Nitrogen Oxide etc caused by the factors mentioned.
• Pollution levels can also be monitored and guidelines be released over the levels of pollution in certain areas.  

Noise:

• Rising car ownership-traffic congesting the roads presents a major noise problem-as the roads get busier and more congested the noise levels soar
• Factories and power plants are a huge noise pollutant-especially in old factories-the large machinery is not fitted with silencers and is extremely noisy throughout the majority of the day
• Dams and electrical plants, mines etc

Solutions:

• Reduce the amount of traffic on the roads-promote public transport etc
• Update the factories with more advanced, quieter, machinery
• Promote more energy efficient, quieter, electrical plants- i.e. wind turbines etc

Water Supply:

• Overuse of ground water led to subsidence and flooding in Bangkok

• Cities consume large amounts of water, especially as incomes rise: aquifier depletion, ground subsidence and low flow of rivers
• Leaking sewers are also a major threat to the water supply-for example the villages of Kanpur or Varansi, India, leak untreated sewage into the Ganga-spreading disease through the villages in India.
• The water supply can also become polluted as inadequate sewerage facilities allow the spread of harmful bacteria-can lead to death from water-borne disease-one of the biggest causes of high infant mortality rates.
• Lack a clean water supply means that the risks of disease are very high.

• Water pollution

• Untreated sewage from the Ganga from cities such as Kanpur or Varanasi
• In urban areas, water pollution results from leaking sewers, landfill and industrial waste, including oil and chemicals
• In some LEDCs, agricultural pollution from fertilizers and manure is a problem
• In some LEDCs, agricultural pollution from fertilizers and manure is a problem-leaking into the water supply

Solutions:

• Reservoirs
• Pipeline constructions (Development of drainage systems and sewers)
• Desalination of salt water
• Water conservation strategies
• Control points-regulation etc

• Installing sewage treatment plants in the largest river settlements
• Providing low-cost sanitation facilities and bathing areas
• Building electric powered crematoria to reduce the numbers of bodies being burnt on the river banks
• Putting flesh-eating turtles in the river to clear up the body remains
• Monitoring river quality to ensure that water quality consistently improves
• Promoting organic farming-elimination of chemical fertilizers and pesticides etc

Environmental Health:

• Air in Mexico City, Mexico, is so poor that breathing it is like smoking 60 cigarettes a day.
• Chemicals such as Carbon Monoxide (which can attach to the red blood cells and cause serious lung problems and even death), Nitrogen Oxide etc
• Contaminated water can spread diseases such as Cholera etc
• These factors reduce the quality of life and life expectancy, and cause serious health problems-restricted breathing and rapid increase of contracting cancer etc

Solutions- see solutions in tackling water contamination/air pollution etc

                                                                        

 In conclusion, many problems have been tackled, but throwing technology and capital at them does not instantly solve environmental problems. Recycling for example is not always a good way of reducing the build up of waste. For example in Manila, Philippines, children scavenge on refuse sites collecting cans for recycling. As well as being unpleasant, the risk of injury is high and any cuts will become infected.

Development in urban areas is usually hindered by environmental problems-which seems to be the worst factor to overcome due to the fact that the environment is very un co-operative and many problems are ‘pushed under the carpet’ as such and the problems increase to un manageable levels-both in LEDCs and MEDCs. However, MEDCs seem to be developed quicker and at more sustainable levels-due to more money in the government-more resources and grants awarded. LEDCs are developed however, but it takes a lot longer due to lack of money, resources and usually much more extremes of problems. An example of a LEDC scheme trying to improve urban areas is in India-The Ganga Action Plan-1986 the Indian government launched this to improve the water quality by:

• Installing sewage treatment plants in the largest river settlements
• Providing low-cost sanitation facilities and bathing areas
• Building electric powered crematoria to reduce the numbers of bodies being burnt on the river banks
• Putting flesh-eating turtles in the river to clear up the body remains
• Monitoring river quality to ensure that water quality consistently improves
• Educating local people in the need for separation of sewage and house-hold waste

Case Studies that include environmental problems

LEDCs:

Calcutta, India

• Western image is of filth and squalor- people living in cardboard boxes and newspapers on the street or people sitting on the top of buses in a ‘people-jam’.
• Sewage pouring down the side of the street in the monsoon season.
• These grim images of Calcutta reflect the enormous environmental problems faced result of both physical and human factors.

Shanty towns- e.g. India etc

• The shantytown is likely to be found on inappropriate land.
• Could be prone to flooding or is very steeply sloping, increasing the chances of a landslip.
• It could be on a piece of land that has been badly polluted by a neighbouring industry.

The shelters made of wood and high population densities increase the risk of fire.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

• 1/3 of the population lives in favelas:

• In favelas, the shortage of utilities is constant: all utilities are below standard access.
• Water is usually accessed by tapping into a water main that runs near the favela.
• Only about 50% of the people living in favelas have access to an indoor toilet-the sewage then runs through open ditches and eventually runs up to street level-creating an incredible health hazard.

• Incineration of the waste can easily ignite many of the wooden houses and cause people become sick due to the smoke.
• Since the city often does not live up to its obligation to haul away the trash, it can build up on street and become a source for disease.

Cairo, Egypt 

• South of the delta
• Some squatter settlements
• City of the dead-people live in the buildings for the tombs-no water system, sewage system, shops etc in this area-lack of provisions
• Very crowded-people living on the roofs
• Housing declines-the buildings crumbling-are not restored
• Rubbish, waste, sewage problems
• Pollution
• Sewage systems broken-floods the streets
• Rubbish-Christians recycle the rubbish from the dumps-but Muslims won’t due to their religion-Might have pig products there

Solutions:

• Egyptian and British scheme-water system-pipes set up for sewage all across the county-but slurry is pumped up to the streets from the construction-spreading disease etc

MEDCs:

The ‘Bronx’, New-York

• Poor repairs-houses burnt down in 1970’s to claim money off the government-landlords used to burn them down
• Healthcare-poorer than the ‘white area’
• Rubbish cluttering up the streets
• People living on the streets
• Air pollution from the city-the buildings and factories are old-not filter systems-lots of air pollution
• Boarded up houses-dereliction-leads to brown field sites

Hackney, London, UK 

• Lifts are smelly etc-people urinate in the lifts
• Construction in the flats are failing, the rooms are damp, they are expensive to maintain
• Elderly people contract pneumonia from the damp conditions-causes health problems like bronchitis

 

Solutions:

• Demolishment of the blocks of flats
• Rebuilding of flats-cleaner-easier to maintain-CCTV cameras set up