Earthquake debris may cause environmental disaster in Türkiye and Syria

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The earthquake that has devastated parts of Turkey and Syria is a tragedy for millions of families, including mine. One of the hardest hit areas – around the ancient city of Antioch – is where my father’s family has lived for generations. This disaster killed thousands of people and affected millions more. Now that the last supposed survivors have been found, the area faces several other problems, including huge amounts of debris from collapsed buildings, roads, and the like. This material is estimated to weigh about 210 million tons – enough to cover Washington, D.C. four feet deep, or build a hill as high as Mount Erciyes, a large volcano in Turkey.

A 2017 US Congressional report highlighted post-disaster wreck management as “one of the greatest challenges” on the road to recovery and rebuilding. These same challenges are now facing Türkiye and Syria. The massive amounts of post-disaster debris, the desire and need to clean up quickly, and the high costs of debris removal operations can lead to many missteps with disastrous consequences.

Our research on debris management highlights planning as a key driver in minimizing negative long-term impacts on the health of people and ecosystems. Plans need to identify and prepare disposal sites, establish recycling capacity, and provide guidance to residents, contractors, and local governments on how to safely manage the materials they encounter.

Debris removal can account for about a third of disaster recovery costs and last for months or years. When not properly managed, unlined landfills, rivers, coasts, or other open areas may become dumping sites for potentially hazardous materials. This contributes to water and soil pollution, changes the flow of rivers, and poses a great danger to human, plant and animal life.

During the first 24 to 72 hours after a major disaster, the priority in wreck management is to clear up, to enable access to search and rescue, evacuation or delivery of supplies, for example, by pushing debris off the roads. The focus then shifts to collection—moving debris to temporary collection areas. The final step is disposal, with multiple aspects such as sorting and separation, recycling, landfilling, incineration, etc. Decisions about how to handle debris at each stage are complex, with significant long-term social and environmental consequences. For example, if and how much sorting is done during removal and collection, this can affect the speed of search and rescue efforts, the cost and duration of wreck management operations, and the final destination of the wreck.

Where to place the debris in the short term is an important social and environmental decision. After the Haiti earthquake, Rivière Grise became a dumping ground, especially for construction debris. After Hurricane Katrina, an emergency landfill was opened in Versailles (a New Orleans neighborhood expanded by Vietnamese refugees), and this decision led to numerous protests over environmental concerns.

In Turkey, asbestos and other harmful chemicals mix with construction waste in falling buildings, along with household appliances and electronics. People and environmental groups have raised concerns about the potential dangers hidden in these debris mountains, parts of which have been dumped in or near residential areas, agricultural fields, riverbeds, or wildlife sanctuary areas. The Turkish government has announced its plans for debris management with reference to segregation, recycling and reuse for construction or proper disposal of debris. However, implementing these plans was difficult; Government officials welcomed public input if they noticed wrong or illegal practices by contractors.

There are three main steps to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of debris management activities: planning; technology and/or data-driven decision making in implementation; and supervision. For better preparation, the planning process needs to involve many organizations and experts from a wide range of fields including geology, civil and environmental engineering, urban and regional planning, public health, industrial and systems engineering, etc. Oversight during implementation is critical to ensuring that plans are properly implemented or revised as needed.

Post-disaster response involves multiple stakeholders (such as governments, NGOs and contractors), further emphasizing the importance of collaborative disaster planning along with deployment exercises conducted during ‘normal’ times in potential potential disaster scenarios. In short, a ‘systems approach’ is essential, given the linkages and cascading impact of decisions ranging from planning to implementation logistics.

Data and technology can help with all aspects of debris management. For example, the Hazus tool developed by FEMA generates risk estimates and informs planning decisions for local governments, and the EPA Disaster Wreck Recovery tool provides information on more than 20,000 wreck management facilities. The technology also makes it possible to collect and share data or map the condition of an area, to help assess the type, quantity and location of debris after a disaster. Unfortunately, these tools or technology are not available in many vulnerable regions around the world. This is an area where collaboration across countries and governments, possibly with support from funding agencies and coordination by NGOs, can greatly benefit planning efforts and reduce the negative impact of future disasters.

Thousands of years ago, the city where my father’s family came from was home to a mosaic of people from many cultures and religions, and it was heartbreaking to see it reduced to rubble. Some of the oldest remnants of civilization may be lost forever. Amid the rush to recover and rebuild, debris management must take center stage, and hopefully not cause a different kind of destruction for generations to come.

This is an article of opinion and analysis, and the opinions expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

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