Tasaduq Hidayat is a Ph.D. Scholar at Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Islamic University of Science & Technology, J & K
This article focuses on the geographical historicity of the tectonic faults in Turkey which is in seismic zone IV and V. It also mentions the impact of the earthquake on post-disaster reconstruction and rehabilitation in Turkey.
Turkey’s 2023 earthquake is considered one of the most catastrophic natural disasters of the present century. An Earthquake measuring 7.8 Mw (moment magnitude) on the Richter scale hit the country on February 6, 2023, causing massive destruction which has sent chills down our spine. The earthquake was so strong that the buildings start crumbling down within no time and caused massive damage to life and property, turning many cities into mounds of rubble. Geographically, the location of Turkey is very strategic with the Anatolia plateau occupying two- thirds of its surface area. The country is surrounded by three major and seismic active tectonic plates namely, African (South), Arabian (South), and Eurasian (North) plates respectively. The Anatolian plateau region is the most seismically active and major earthquakes have occurred in the region. The seismic activity is generated because of the collision and relative motions between the African, Arabian, and Eurasian plates. The active faults on the Anatolian seismic plate are at significant risk and can become a big disaster at any time. These active faults are located on the North, East, and South sides of the Anatolian plate respectively.
The North Anatolian Fault (NAF) is the most active zone that forms an eastward boundary between the Anatolia and Eurasian plates, causing
earthquakes in associated faults. It is 1500 Km long and extends from eastern Turkey to Northeastern regions. However, the boundary between the Eurasian and African plates forms a high-frequency seismically active belt which experiences high-magnitude earthquakes. This belt is known as Albide Belt and spans over 16,000 km. The East Anatolian Fault (EAF) runs from eastern to central Turkey and forms a seismically active tectonic boundary between the Anatolian plate and the Arabian plate. The fault is 580 Km long and is also seismically active because of the motion of Anatolia plate tectonics which results in the collision with the Eurasian plate, causing high-magnitude earthquakes in central and Eastern parts of Turkey. Entire Turkey is located on this most significant seismically active belt (Albide Belt) which is the second most dangerous active region of the earth after the ring of fire in the Pacific region. Consequently, Turkey becomes one of the seismically active regions of the world because of the higher seismicity of the Anatolian plate.
The historicity of earthquakes has shown an upward spiral in Turkey between 1939 and 1999. According to, ‘Seismicity of Turkey and Real-Time Seismology Applications in Determining Earthquake Hazard,’ by Dogan Kalafat, A. Can Zulfikar, and Seyhan Okuyan Akcan, the North Anatolian Plateau shredded with continuousness and large earthquakes occurred of magnitude over 7 on the Richter scale. As a result, North Anatolian Fault (NAF) ruptured into segments and these seismic activities have made the fault more vulnerable to earthquakes of strong magnitude. The earthquakes in Turkey which were of more than 7 Mw on the Richter scale and proved devastative in the 20th and 21st centuries respectively were the Erzincan earthquake 1939), the Erbaa-Niksar earthquake (1942), the Tosya earthquake (1943), the Bolu-Gerede earthquake (1944), the Abant earthquake (1957), the Mudurnu earthquake (1967), the Izmit earthquake (1999), Duzce earthquake (1999), Van earthquake (2011), the Aegean sea earthquake (2020), Gaziantep earthquake (2023), and Kahramanmaras earthquake (2023). The above table shows the chronological order of the major earthquakes in Turkey that occurred in the 20th and 21st centuries respectively.
Turkey’s 2023 earthquake has proved more catastrophic than the other earthquakes that occurred in the last two decades. Turkey is affected by the earthquake so much that the administration announced an official emergency in the most affected regions. Many cities have turned into mounds of rubble and international organizations like the United Nations have started sending emergency crews from all over the world. Media is also critical in reporting the news to disseminate objective information. However, there is certainly a need to shift the focus toward rescue and rehabilitation.
The post-disaster scenario of the earthquake is not only the task to reconstruct homes but to rebuild lives. Different broadcasting sources of media have shown that life in Turkey is all about endless struggles. People are not able to forget the trauma they experienced due to the earthquake. Millions of people are homeless and have no shelter; people in the regions close to the epicentre of the earthquakes are even struggling for getting proper sanitation facilities. In some places, public swimming pools have been turned into sanitation centers where people take baths and wash their clothes.
In areas, where the earthquake caused complete devastation of life and property, the UN delegation was able to arrive at those areas after two weeks
after the earthquake. The delegation enunciated that the catastrophic situation has made them shocked and emotional too. While expressing solidarity, one of the UN delegates, David Anthony Carden, mentioned that the aftermath of the disaster is a huge responsibility and the need for people is very concerning. The world Bank Report shows that the infrastructure got damaged so much that the reconstruction costs are higher vis-à-vis new construction codes and guidelines (Gunasekera et al., 2023). According to the report published by Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and
Recovery (GFDRR), the damage to the infrastructure has been estimated at US$ 34.2 billion which constituted 4% of the total GDP of Turkey in 2021. Furthermore, the total direct damage to both residential and non-residential buildings is US$ 18 billion and US$ 9.7 billion respectively. The province-wise damage estimation of residential and non-residential infrastructures is shown in the table above:-
Rebuilding houses is the biggest challenge in the post-disaster scenario. Various charity units have been established by different developed countries to rebuild infrastructure and rehabilitate people. A Washington-based charity unit ‘Project Hope’ is one of the project units which is working on rebuilding houses and trying to adopt the strategies of reconstruction mechanism. ‘Project Hope’ is rebuilding the housing units and helping people who are displaced due to the earthquakes. The project is working day in and day out to keep their work going for accelerating the rehabilitation process. ‘Project Hope’ is also providing psychological support to people who are facing post-traumatic stress, especially children and women.
India has left no stone unturned when it comes to relief and rescue operations. India has sent hundreds of search and rescue members in teams and has been providing medicines, food materials, and other items under the special operation namely #OperationDost. India’s ministry of external affairs has taken this step to help Turkey in this devastating situation.
The rehabilitation mechanism strategies started by Turkey with the help of various countries have helped Turkey to restore some normalcy. However, restoring complete normalcy takes time in the aftermath of a disaster. It is a step-by-step process, where the reconstruction of houses, public buildings, schools, and hospitals is given the utmost importance.
Turkey’s 2023 earthquake is a lesson for those countries which are vulnerable to earthquakes. India is one of them and it needs to develop well-established disaster management strategies to be ready if, God forbid, such kind of disaster strikes here. Undoubtedly, disaster management in India has developed its strategies from time to time. However, it needs to gear up resilience patterns and strong mitigation mechanisms to deal with any kind of disaster both during and in the aftermath of a disaster.
