Hatay's troubles never end: Heavy metals in uncontrolled debris piles will spread for kilometers

Kübra KARASU - 12punto.com.tr

Following the February 6 earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, the release of heavy metals from building debris in Hatay has created a serious risk for agricultural productivity. The use of areas very close to stream beds, forest lands, olive groves, greenhouses, agricultural fields, and water sources as dumping sites for building debris has increased the potential for the release of heavy metals such as asbestos, causing damage to soil and water. As a result, in addition to important agricultural lands like the Amik Plain, which possesses significant wealth, olive groves have also been damaged. Regarding the issue, Ahmet Sezer, Head of the Hatay Chamber of Agricultural Engineers and Member of the Soil Conservation Board, and Cafer Fidan, President of the Asbestos and Hazardous Waste Association (ASTA), spoke to 12punto.com.tr.

Ahmet Sezer, Head of the Hatay Chamber of Agricultural Engineers and Member of the Soil Conservation Board, explained to 12punto the damage caused by the heavy metals released from earthquake debris to Hatay's olive trees, water, soil, and the public.

"CHRONIC POISONING WILL BEGIN SLOWLY"

Stating that the heavy metals spreading from the debris undoubtedly affect all living things, Sezer said, "Olive trees are evergreen; they do not shed their leaves. They have respiratory surfaces called stomata. When they take in heavy metals through these respiratory surfaces, it prevents the intake of other essential elements, causing stress in the tree. In other words, this indirectly creates nutritional problems. This situation affects all the food people eat, including the water they drink.

"Over time, it causes chronic poisoning in certain fatty tissues. This is not acute poisoning; it is chronic poisoning and manifests itself in the long term. Because these heavy metals are carcinogenic substances."

Sezer explained how heavy metals spread after debris dumping as follows:

"One gram of soil forms over millions of years. But we are getting rid of it immediately. Debris is being dumped on first-class agricultural land. These affect everything very negatively. The water flowing from the places used as dumping sites affects groundwater, from groundwater it reaches well water, from well water it reaches the taps in your home, and from there it affects all vital stages, including what you eat and drink. All these stages are links in a chain of poisoning."

"THERE CAN BE NO PROPERTY RIGHT OVER SOIL"

Regarding the Amik Plain, one of Turkey's most fertile plains located in Hatay, Sezer said:

"The Amik Plain is classified as a 'Great Plain,' a protected agricultural site. This means no construction can be built on the Amik Plain. You cannot say, 'I will build a gas station, or a school, or this or that' under various excuses. Yes, all of these are necessary, but not by taking first-class agricultural land out of production and opening it up to construction. We may be the owners of the land, but that land will produce food for people for years to come. There can be no property right that says 'the land is mine, so I will do whatever I want with it.' We are strictly against this."

"WE MUST PROTECT THE AMIK PLAIN"

"I am also a member of the Soil Conservation Board, and I say 'no' to everything. However, the members of the Soil Conservation Board are mostly composed of directors of various institutions by structure. They are also affiliated with the Provincial Administration, and therefore the Governor. The Governor is the head of this board. Can the institution directors say 'yes' to something the Governor says 'no' to? They cannot. But we say 'no,' yet because we cannot get a four-fifths majority vote, it doesn't happen. Later, we take it to court or suggest an alternative solution. We say, 'Don't build it here, build it there.' They say there is 'public interest.' So, we are in a constant cycle. That is why you and we must protect the Amik Plain because it is a protected agricultural site. Feeding the generations after us is a duty."

"RECYCLING CAN BE ACHIEVED IN DEBRIS"

Stating that debris should not be dumped on agricultural lands like the Amik Plain, Sezer concluded his words as follows: "Just as they collect the iron inside the debris and put it into recycling, recycling can be achieved for all of the debris if desired. If people have the technology to turn giant rocks into sand, they can turn the existing debris into sand and use it when making asphalt again. Debris can be dumped on fourth-class or fifth-class agricultural land, not marginal agricultural land. It can be recovered by dumping it in places where there are no water sources and processing it."

NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS WERE NOT TAKEN

Cafer Fidan, President of the Asbestos and Hazardous Waste Association (ASTA), also evaluated the risks that emerged during the debris removal and dumping phase in Hatay and the precautions that should have been taken in time for 12punto.

Emphasizing that the precautions to be taken during the 'transportation' phase of the debris will not mean anything on their own unless they are also taken during the 'dumping' phase, Fidan said, "Even if nothing else could be done while the debris was being removed, it definitely should have been wetted down. If it could not be wetted, it should have been completely covered in a sealed manner. But these are only precautions that can be taken during transportation. When piles of debris are dumped in an area, all the heavy metals will have spread for kilometers. So, frankly, it won't mean much."

Touching upon the damage asbestos causes to soil and water, Fidan stated, "It has been proven that asbestos has an effect on living things that breathe through lungs. When it mixes with water, it can be distributed to various places along with the water. It can enter environments where living things are present, mix with the air there, and cause it to be inhaled. Of course, when other heavy metals and such spread to agricultural areas, they can enter everything we eat and drink and reach living things."

"A LOT OF WASTE WAS THROWN RANDOMLY IN A HURRY"

Fidan finally evaluated the debris removal phase in Hatay as follows:

"The demolitions should have been carried out by taking precautions based on the possibility of hazardous waste or asbestos. Then, special transport vehicles and facilities to dispose of the metals should have been built. There are first-class storage facilities where hazardous waste is disposed of. They are built under special conditions in a sealed manner, and these are large areas. However, I am talking about what is normal. An incredible amount of waste was created in the earthquake, so it is difficult to establish such a facility. But even if it was piece by piece, what I am saying could have been done to a certain extent. It is not right to take it to a random place and dump it. This should have been planned in advance, and its infrastructure should have been prepared to prevent damage to groundwater. It was not done this way; a lot of waste was transported by truck and dumped in randomly determined storage areas in a hurry without understanding what it was."