Effects of Building Debris and Waste Dumping Areas on Soil Nutrient Contents in Agricultural Areas in Islahiye and Nurdağı After Hatay and Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes
Erdihan TUNÇ 1 ,
Mustafa DEMİR1 ,
Sevgi ARSLAN 2 ,
Tuğba ŞİMŞEK SEMERCİOĞLU 3 ,
Nilgün KALKANCI 3 ,
Nevzat ASLAN 4 ,
Mehmet KARAYILAN 5 ,
Hafize HASAR 5
1 Gaziantep University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Biology Department, Gaziantep
2 Gaziantep University, İslahiye Vocational School, Department of Plant and Animal Production, İslahiye, Gaziantep
3 Pistachio Research Institute, Gaziantep
4 Siirt University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Soil Sciences and Plant Nutrition, Siirt
5 Gaziantep Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, Gaziantep
Abstract
Earthquakes on February 6 and February 20, 2023, in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay caused significant loss of life and property in Türkiye. The effects of building debris and waste dumping areas (DWDA) that occurred after earthquakes are an important question mark on agricultural lands. This study aims to investigate the nutrient contents of the agricultural areas in Islahiye and Nurdağı, Gaziantep province, where large amounts of building debris and waste deposited after the earthquakes. A total of 53 surface (0-30 cm) soil samples were taken from agricultural lands in around DWDAs, at distances of 0 m, 500 m, 1000 m, and 2000 m. Soil samples were measured for pH, inorganic carbonate (IC), organic matter (SOM), soil texture, available phosphorus (Pav), calcium (Caav), potassium (Kav), magnesium (Mgav), extractable copper (Cuex), iron (Feex), manganese (Mnex), and zinc (Znex). Significant differences (p<0.05) were found in Kav, Caav, Mgav, Cuex, Feex, and Mnex of agricultural soils around DWDAs. On the other hand, no significant differences were noted in the nutrient contents (except Feex and Mnex) at different distances from the DWDAs (p>0.05). Spatial distribution maps revealed that the distributions of nutrients were heterogenous. Correlation analyses indicated that sources of nutrient could be lithogenic processes and agricultural practices. The results of this study showed that although DWDAs barely contribute to plant nutrients in soil to a level that would affect agricultural productivity, it is necessary to monitor this unusual source of pollution due to risks it may pose to natural and agricultural soil health and to healthy food production in the future.
Keywords
February 6,earthquakes,debris and waste,agriculture,soil nutrients,Türkiye
How to Cite
TUNÇ , E., DEMİR, M., ARSLAN , S., ŞİMŞEK SEMERCİOĞLU , T., KALKANCI , N., ASLAN , N., KARAYILAN , M., & HASAR , H. (2026). Effects of Building Debris and Waste Dumping Areas on Soil Nutrient Contents in Agricultural Areas in Islahiye and Nurdağı After Hatay and Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes. ISPEC Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 10(2), 353–369. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19364946
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Mustafa DEMİR1