Determination of heavy metals level in well waters in Hatay region after the february 6, 2023 eartquake

Earthquakes are natural disasters that cause not only physical destruction but also long-term environmental problems in the region where they occur. The February 6, 2023 earthquake centered in Kahramanmaraş, which affected a large geography in the south of Turkey, caused the most destruction in Hatay province, causing the loss of thousands of lives. The dense debris piles that emerged with the heavy destruction experienced by the earthquake, followed by uncontrolled construction activities, increased environmental pollution. The accelerated pollutant transport by climatic factors such as precipitation and wind increased the risk of contamination of well waters. The aim of this study is to determine the heavy metal concentrations of well waters in the Antakya, Defne, Kırıkhan, Hassa, İskenderun and Arsuz districts of Hatay province following the February 6 earthquakes. For this purpose, a total of 33 well water samples were collected in June 2024 and heavy metal levels were measured. The concentrations of Co, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Sn, Hg, Pb, Ca, Fe, Li, Cr, Mn and Ni in the samples were determined using the ICP-MS device. The findings obtained were compared with national and international permissible limit values. According to these evaluations, it was determined that some regions were higher than the limit values for elements such as Fe, Cr, Mn, Li and Ni. The analysis results indicate that debris and other various building material residues, especially in water samples taken from wells close to storage areas, caused an increase in some heavy metal concentrations. The findings obtained within the scope of this study support the formation of long-term multifunctional risks for both human health and the ecosystem. The results of this study clearly demonstrate the importance of systematically monitoring environmental pollution, including water resources, after the earthquake and taking comprehensive measures against pollution.