While the volume that will emerge out of the earthquake zone is estimated to exceed 100 million tons, experts state that “it should be kept from interacting with groundwater; it should not be dumped on agricultural fields.” The latest data and demolition specialists suggest that the quantity of debris that will come out of the wrecked or to-be-demolished structures in the earthquakes that occurred in 11 provinces in the Kahramanmaraş earthquake would surpass 100 million tons. As damage assessment work is being done in the earthquake area, debris cleanup work is also initiated.
Mehmet Ali Bulut Recommends Controlled Demolition and Clean-up of Debris
MAB Destroy İnşaat ve Yıkım Hizmetleri Limited Şirketi (MAB Demolition) Chairman of the Board Mehmet Ali Bulut, asserts that there are 480 companies in Turkey that have “demolition contractors” certificates that have not yet been approved and have not applied for a certificate. He stated that this figure had surpassed 2,000 when combined with the firms.
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Bulut stated, “Now, it does not appear conceivable for demolition contractors in Turkey to demolish these structures swiftly with traditional methods,” referring to the large number of buildings that must be removed in the earthquake zone. “It may take up to two years to remove these structures. The procedure might be considerably faster here with explosive demolition, but we also don’t have many explosive engineers. In Turkey, we were unable to make significant progress in this area. We must use explosive destruction and train explosive engineers,” he stated.
There are Dangerous Chemicals, and Expert Handling is Needed
“Asbestos is a carcinogenic substance found in old structures. On-site inspection and marking of asbestos removal professionals are required. These dangerous chemicals could pose a real threat. Municipalities should promptly provide excess water tankers to the earthquake region, and continual irrigation should be implemented. It is critical to recycle this wreck in the most beneficial way possible. The debris pieces may be broken down in stone crushers, and this stabilized material can be produced and utilized in road repair and filling.”
Bulut stated that there is scrap iron in the material retrieved after the buildings are demolished, which will be recycled for the economy. “They must pass through a sieve in order to be recycled,” he added. “Even one gram of iron should not be wasted; it should be returned to Turkey‘s economy. There will be 89 million tons of waste if we include the 61 thousand 722 structures that will be demolished. Together with the already demolished structures, an estimated 100 million tons of rubble will be dumped.”
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