## 5 Debris Management and Related Hazards in the Earthquake-Affected Provines in Turkey
### Debris Management and Related Hazards in the Earthquake-Affected Provinces in Turkey
#### 5.2.2 Antakya Disposal Site  
Antakya is the capital of Hatay province and is one of the cities that were very heavily affected by the 6 February 2023 earthquakes. It is located in the southern part of the earthquake-affected area and in particular within the NE-SW striking Antakya-Samandag Corridor that has been formed between the Amik Basin and the Carpathian Arc [98]. Within this depression, the Orontes River develops in a similar direction and flows southwards, south of Samandag, making the area vulnerable to intense earthquake ground motion. The most recent part of the sedimentary fill includes Holocene alluvial deposits on either side of the Orontes River, comprising pebbles, sands and clays [98]. Pleistocene-age river terraces are also developed, which are composed of alternations of pebbles and coarse sands [98]. Due to the high value of the peak ground acceleration in the part of the city west of the Orontes River [14] and the construction of buildings in an area composed of recent geological deposits [98], highly susceptible to liquefaction and lateral spreading phenomena,the buildings in the city suffered very severe structural damage including a few thousand collapses located within a distance of up to 2 km from the riverbed and tens of thousands of buildings with very severe damage throughout the city. The heavy structural damage resulted in many of the buildings having to be demolished. The demolition along with the collapsed buildings created a large amount of debris that had to be removed from the city and therefore the need for the establishment of debris disposal sites. During our field survey in Hatay province, we found that the demolition of buildings and the removal of debris in Antakya City was in progress. We also identified disposal debris sites that did not meet even the basic criteria for their setup. One of these sites was located at the northwestern boundary of an area with small industrial sites (Figure 6). One of the main disadvantages of this location as a debris disposal site is its small distance from areas where people live and work. This site was immediately east of Ataturk Cd, one of the main roads in Antakya with a lot of traffic leading from the main urban fabric of the city to its northern suburbs and small industrial sites (Figure 6). In addition, it is located right next to a branch of the drainage network that flows from northwest to southeast and ends in the main branch of the Orontes River (Figure 6) that crosses  
Figure 6: Pseudocolor image maps in the Antakya disposal site area before (first map, acquisition on 2 February 2023) and after (second map, acquisition on 10 June 2023) the 6 February 2023 earthquakes. the urban fabric of the city, dividing it into eastern and western parts and feeding the groundwater. From the above, it is concluded that the treatment of debris at this location has the potential to affect not only the health of the local population but also surface water bodies and groundwater systems and a larger part of the population of the city which uses the aforementioned sources for various purposes. This disposal site was filled with water and covered with rubble in its northern and eastern parts (Figure 7). Characteristic of this area was the constant arrival of trucks loaded with rubble that were dumped near the edges of the pile, and pushed with heavy machinery into the water. This process resulted in the continuous formation of dust clouds. The health of the local population may be directly affected by dust clouds. Residents may experience adverse effects from the occurrence of respiratory infectious diseases and eye diseases. The local population may also be affected by odor and nuisance as well as from the noise during the processing and disposal of debris and the view of the debris pile. An indirect impact on the health of the city's population can come from pollution of surface and groundwater bodies.