New solutions required for water demand in the Earthquake Zone
Considering that the daily water requirement per person after the earthquake is at least 7 litres, the daily drinking and potable water needs of the people living in the city is 4.2 million litres. This means a total water requirement of at least 4.2 million pieces of 1 litre bottled water per day. However, when considered only as drinking water, this need decreases.
In order to meet the water demand in the earthquake zone and to avoid risky situations, a sustainable water supply system must be restored and put into operation as soon as possible. Even if we assume that Hatay's population, which was 1.6 million before the earthquake, has halved due to evacuations and migration from the city, it can be estimated that approximately 800 000 earthquake victims still live in the city. Some figures on this issue were announced by Minister Soylu.
In his press statement dated 5 March 2023, Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu said:
"There are a total of 12 thousand 218 debris in Hatay, and 6 thousand 832 buildings to be demolished urgently. 80 tent city areas were created in Hatay and 101 thousand 168 tents were set up. 405 thousand earthquake victims are staying in these tents."
At least 60 trucks of drinking water are consumed per day in Hatay
When the 405 000 earthquake victims staying in tent cities after the earthquake are added to the estimated 200 000 people staying in their own tents and single storey sturdy houses, it becomes necessary to meet the drinking and potable water needs of 605 000 people per day in Hatay province. Considering that the daily water requirement per person after the earthquake is at least 7 litres, the daily drinking and potable water needs of the people living in the city is 4.2 million litres. This means a total water requirement of at least 4.2 million pieces of 1 litre bottled water per day. However, when considered only as drinking water, this need decreases.
At a press conference on 5 March 2023, Minister of Interior Soylu said, "The number of packaged drinking water supplied to Hatay today alone is 1 million 200 thousand units". Assuming that these waters are 1 lt bottles, this means that at least 60 trucks of 20 tonne trucks carry water to Hatay every day to meet the need.
Disruptions may occur in the supply of bottled water for a long period of time. This shows the importance of repairing the city network as soon as possible and providing reliable water supply as soon as possible.
48 trucks of water sent from Konya Metropolitan to Hatay is less than one day's need
Konya Metropolitan Municipality announced that they have sent 48 trucks of water from Konya to Hatay so far. "We have sent all our Beysu production to Hatay since the day of the earthquake. 1 million 70 thousand packaged drinking water has reached Hatay with 48 trucks so far," the Metropolitan Municipality said in a statement. However, this water falls short of the daily amount of bottled water distributed in Hatay. This shows the need for purification and distribution of mains water to meet the water demand.
It should be consumed by boiling
If water that is not bottled and of unknown origin is to be used, it should be consumed by letting it cool down one minute after it starts to boil. Chlorine compounds can be used to disinfect water under disaster conditions. For this, ready-made chlorine tablets can be used with the instructions on them. In addition, water disinfection devices using ozone and disinfected mains water can be used. The installation and operation of this system in the earthquake zone will significantly reduce the consumption of bottled water and ensure the use of clean and reliable water.
405 000 earthquake victims in tents in Hatay. 62 container city areas planned
According to the statements made, a total of 209 container areas have been established in 10 provinces affected by the earthquake, 62 of which are in Hatay. The Ministry announced that 21,895 containers are planned to be installed in Hatay. Currently, 405 000 earthquake victims are staying in tents in Hatay.
Until the water and supply infrastructure system of 62 container city areas is built and clean water supply is provided, some practical solutions can be applied. For clean water to be supplied to approximately 405 000 people in tent cities and other residential areas, bottled water as well as mains water disinfected with portable ozone water disinfection devices can be used.
Water Disinfection with Ozone Gas
The most widely used area of ozone gas in the world is water disinfection. There are many advantages of disinfection with ozone gas compared to disinfection with conventional chlorine. Since OZONE GAS does not cause environmental pollution, it is a preferred method for water disinfection and water quality improvement.
The Ozone generator in the system uses oxygen from the basin to produce Ozone. The photo above shows a 20 000 litre/hour ozonation water disinfection system. In the photo, there are self-cleaning 100 micron disc filters on the far left, an ozone contact tank next to it, an ozone generator on the right and a circulation pump that circulates the water in the tank.
Ozone gas is theoretically 3165 times more effective than chlorine. It can eliminate all bacteria in 3-5 minutes, which is the contact time. Another advantage of this system is that it does not produce water loss and waste water as in some other treatment systems while disinfecting water.
This system, which can be installed in various capacities according to where it will be used, was used in Sakarya during the 1999 Marmara earthquake and was very useful.
This system can also be placed on a trailer to provide mobile service with a suitable capacity. This system also offers a permanent service opportunity for the reliable use of mains water in the earthquake zone by ozonation.
