Locals exposed to polluted air should be warned
Assoc. Prof. Dr. İme Akanyeti Güngör who is a faculty member in the Department of Environmental Engineering gave some information about the fire in the Solid Waste Storage Facility.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. İme Akanyeti Güngör said they had not yet received any reliable information from official sources but they could foresee these fires were not because of natural or normal causes. Akanyeti added that the fires in the facility prove that these places were not operated correctly nor were there operational control mechanisms. The facility should not accept any waste other than domestic waste. However, it is observed that medical, construction and hazardous wastes are also accepted at the facility.
In her speech, Akanyeti stated that especially combustible wastes can cause fires, and noted that it is important to place and operate the gas outlet pipes regularly so that the gases produced by the decay of biological wastes do not get trapped and cause fire. When this system is not operated correctly, fire risks would be high. In addition, in facilities that are not operated properly and receive waste in excess of their capacity, operators may sometimes resort to incineration which is the wrong way to go.
“Within the scope of integrated solid waste management, it is important to separate transfer stations and material recovery facilities.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akanyeti stated that firstly a post-fire situation should be determined at the facility and if there is any damage, action should be taken as soon as possible. Secondly, all waste that is accepted at the facility should be thoroughly inspected and those that are found inappropriate for storage in the facility, should be rejected. Furthermore, it is important to store waste that is accepted to be stored correctly by following the storage rules.
On the other hand, within the scope of integrated solid waste management, it is of great importance to establish transfer stations and material recovery facilities urgently and to minimize the amount of waste sent to landfill. Implementing separation, reuse and recycling practices are essential for sustainable waste management.
“Similar problems will arise unless operational and inspection issues are resolved.”
In her speech, Akanyeti stated that a tender was mentioned that will determine the solid waste management style of our country for the next 30 years and stated that it is of great importance to include in the tender and specification preparation process experts on environmental issues and other related engineering fields and said, “If relevant experts do not participate in this process, this will cause the process not to progress properly and will lead to technical errors. Even if the tender and specification preparation is done correctly but the operational and inspection problems are not resolved, similar problems will arise and the environment and public health will be endangered.”
“Fires are a threat to human life”
Akanyeti added that many pollutants released into the air with fires affect the air quality negatively. For example, pollutants such as carbon dioxide and ash, as well as dioxin and furan, which cause cancer and reproductive disorders, pose a threat to public health. It is necessary to determine the concentrations of the relevant pollutants as soon as possible, to consider the wind direction and to immediately warn the people in the regions exposed to these pollutants.