KAHRAMANMARAŞ CENTERED EARTHQUAKE PERIOD DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND SOLID WASTE PROBLEMS

Reducing the risks before the earthquakes that occur because of the breaking of the tectonic plates on the fault lines in the earth's crust would prevent the occurrence of major disasters. As in many parts of the world, earthquakes of various sizes occur at frequent intervals in Turkey. One of the most important of these earthquakes is the two major earthquakes that occurred on the Turkey-Eastern Anatolian fault line, 9 hours apart, on February 6, 2023. caused property damage. The impact of the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes in an area of 108,812 km2 caused damage to the highways and railways to be used in the delivery of aid to the earthquake region, therefore delays were experienced in the region until the disruptions were eliminated, and the maintenance-repairs of these infrastructures were completed. For this reason, it is very important to take precautions before, during and after an earthquake and similar disasters. It has been revealed that the measures to be taken in this regard should be taken together by all the people. In this context, it is important that local governments and the public cooperate in establishing earthquake-resistant cities for disaster risk reduction activities. Public institutions and relevant departments of universities and research centers should work together. Post-disaster conflicts can generate large amounts of solid and liquid waste that threatens public health, hinders reconstruction, and affects the environment. Disaster waste can be produced because of a real disaster, or it can be produced later in the intervention and recovery stages. Disaster waste also offers opportunities: it can contain valuable materials such as concrete, steel and timber, as well as organic materials for composting. This value can be realized as a source of income or reconstruction material and reduces the burden on natural resources that might otherwise be harvested for rebuilding. During the sequence of earthquakes focused on Kahramanmaraş, the debris in the earthquake areas and many items that carry out debris removal operations and come to the region to meet the social needs of the people of the region emerge as solid waste. Since solid wastes disrupt the work and cause infectious diseases as much as their economic value, necessary precautions should be taken within the emergency action plans.