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Natural Disasters andWaste
Apart from the direct cost to human lives and property, disasters
have significant waste implications. Disasters can generate a
huge amount of waste in a very short time, overwhelming the
capacities of municipalities and waste management facilities.
Disaster waste can affect human health by contaminating
drinking water and through exposure to hazardous waste, cripple
local infrastructure, and hinder rescue and rehabilitation efforts
(for example, debris blocking access routes and roads). The waste
is often mixed with vegetation and other debris, which further
complicates separation and collection.
Mountains are prone to natural hazards, such as avalanches, extreme weather, landslides, glacial lake
outburst floods, floods and earthquakes. Mountain areas are by their very nature, mostly located in
seismically active areas (mountain-building is a result of the geological process of plate tectonics). In
the Andes, for example, about 88 per cent of the mountains are susceptible to earthquakes (Kohler
andMaselli, 2009). Mountain communities living on steep, unstable terrain or along steep river valleys,
as well as downstream communities, are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters because of their
high degree of exposure and their low coping capacity (due to poverty). There is evidence that many
mountain regions have become more disaster-prone (Kohler and Maselli, 2009). Climate change is
an important contributing factor, because it increases the risk of extreme events and reduces the
resilience of both ecosystems and people (Kohler, Wehrli and Jurek, 2014). Migration, urbanisation and
other factors also play a role, as more and more people move into areas exposed to natural hazards.
It is difficult to assess the total waste generated by disasters but
research from various disasters in the US and the 2004 Tsunami
in the Indian Ocean indicate that the waste generated in each
community was equivalent to between 5 and 15 times their
normal annual waste generation (Reinhart and McCreanor,1999;
Basnayake, Chiemchaisri and Visvanathan, 2006). The 2015
earthquake in Nepal, which killed more than 9,000 people and
destroyed 800,000 buildings, generated 3.94 million tons of
debris in Kathmandu valley only. This was equivalent to 11 years
of waste (Gyawali, 2015).
Wildfires
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
Hurricanes/Typhoons
Tsunamis
Floods
Ice storms
Vegetative
Construction
and demolition
Personal property/
Household items
Hazardous waste
Household hazardous
waste
White goods*
Soil, mud and sand
Vehicles and vessels
Putrescent
Source: FEMA (2007)
Public Assistance: Debris Management Guide
.
*
White goods: Large, domestic electrical goods such as fridges and washing machines.
TYPICAL DEBRIS STREAMS FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF DISASTERS