## 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
#### 5.2.3 Karaburclu Disposal Site  
This site is located about 4.5 km southwest of the city of Nurdaji which was severely affected by the February 2023 earthquakes resulting in very heavy structural damage to thousands of buildings including hundreds of collapses and about 2500 human casualties according to official statements by the Turkish authorities. In particular, the Karaburclu  
Figure 7: Typical views of the unsorted earthquake debris dumped in the Antakya site on 4 April 2023. (**a**,**b**) The area was entirely covered by water before debris dumping forming a small water body very close to a stream flowing to the Orontes River. During recovery, the site has been selected for disposal of unsorted earthquake debris (**c**,**d**). The chaotic mixture contained mainly concrete and steel reinforcement bars from collapsed and demolished buildings as well as various damaged construction materials and related equipment.  
site is located between the D825 state road and the Karaburclu settlement at a distance of about 100 m from its eastern boundary (Figure 8). Prior to the earthquake, the site was used as an aggregate extraction site with a perimeter of almost 1.2 km and an area of 0.07 km\({}^{2}\). Two months after the earthquake, the site was converted for treatment and disposal of the earthquake debris (Figure 9a).  
During our field survey in the Nurdag area on 5 April 2023, we found that debris processing including crushing of concrete and sorting of steel reinforcement bars was taking place (Figure 9b-d). This treatment was conducted with heavy machinery including crushers, hydraulic excavators, loaders, and heavy trucks. The steel bars were turned into balls that were piled up in the western part of the site towards the settlement (Figure 9b-d). The crushing of debris resulted in the creation of dust clouds at various stages of its processing from the very first phase of debris deposition on the site until its final compaction by loaders and rollers. Due to the fact that these activities continued all day with no  
Figure 8: Pseudocolor image maps in the Karaburclu disposal site area before (first map acquired on 24 January 2023) and after (second map acquired on 11 June 2023) the 6 February 2023 earthquakes.  
interruption, there was a constant dust accumulation not only over the disposal site but also on the adjacent road and mainly towards the adjacent Karaburclu settlement.  
Considering the location of this site, the activities that take place in its boundaries, and the presence of large infrastructures and residential areas at a very short distance from the site, we can conclude that this site is unsuitable as it can create health risks for the workers in the disposal sites and the residents of the adjacent settlements. They may be confronted with infectious respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, asthma attacks, and exacerbation of pre-existing respiratory conditions or even with more serious diseases such as lung cancer in case the debris includes building and insulation materials with hazardous components such as asbestos.  
In addition, the participation of heavy vehicles in the process at the disposal site leads to noise pollution due to the constant operation of the engines, the unloading of debris, and the loading of the steel for further recycling and use. In addition to noise pollution, visual pollution may also be generated by the constant presence of heavy vehicles on the local road network, the view of debris piles at the disposal site, and the change in the landscape caused by their accumulation.  
Given that there are no significant water bodies such as rivers, lakes, lagoons, and marshes in the vicinity of this site, there does not appear to be an immediate risk of the disposal of debris disturbing the balance of such ecosystems. However, this does not exclude the impact on the groundwater in the area which may have long-term effects on the health of the local population.