Sustainable Development after Disasters: The Case of Erbaa County

*Aşina Kübra Aslan, Ertuğrul Karagöl, Arzuhan Burcu Gültekin, Şefik Taş, Emir Sunguroğlu, Zekeriya Çelik and Eren Adıgüzel* 

#### **Abstract**

The strong association between natural disasters and sustainable development was not understood for many years in developing countries including Turkey, and therefore, effective steps have not been taken in terms of improving and strengthening this association. It is obvious that sustainable development works are important after disasters. It was also emphasized that the measures that must be taken to prevent disasters and reduce their losses must be included in development plans of all sizes. Especially, local administration must be trained about being prepared for natural disasters, and the damages must thus be minimized. The sustainability concept must not be limited with a shallow area like the protection and development of the environment. In this chapter, the importance of sustainable development after disasters was emphasized; and the policies that were implemented after the great earthquake that happened in the city of Erbaa in 1939–1942–1943 was examined in the light of the data received from Erbaa Municipality.

**Keywords:** sustainable development, disaster, natural disaster, Erbaa, earthquake

#### **1. Introduction**

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals) constitute a universal call for action to eliminate poverty, protect our planet, and ensure that all people live in peace and welfare. Major disasters interrupt the economy and development targets all over the country, and cause important problems in payment balance, create negative effects on income distribution by disrupting the budget income-expenditure balance, increase poverty, and therefore, stop the planned investments and cut the resources that are allocated for further investments. Similarly, major disasters also cause losses in production and stocks, loss of market, shortages in terms of goods, and increase prices, cause unemployment and disruption in social balances. They also lead to sudden and uncontrolled population movements, which affect sustainable development in a mostly negative way, and even lead to the disruption of political and social integrity. For this reason, it is emphasized in all international institutions and platforms by the United Nations that all the natural disasters in fact pose a problem of development. In addition,

it is also mentioned that precautions must be taken for the purpose of preventing disasters and reducing their losses, which must be included in development plans at any level. In other international approaches as well, it is also emphasized that it is impossible to obtain sustainable development by leaving policies, strategies, and actions that may lessen disaster dangers and risks aside; and it is recommended that disaster risk reduction activities must be not be considered as a component of sustainable development, on the contrary, such activities must be considered as the precondition. The strong connection between disaster and sustainable development is understood better as disasters are faced. In countries where the danger and risk of natural disaster such as earthquake is high, like Turkey, due to climatic and geographical conditions, the implementation of sustainable development policies that are based on influential policies and strategies planned to reduce natural dangers and risks is extremely important. In this respect, planned and audited residence and industrialization must be carried out; and the physical, social, economic, and environmental damages, which cause natural disasters, must be reduced. Especially local administration must be trained about being prepared for natural disasters, and the damages must thus be minimized. The sustainability concept must not be limited with a shallow area like the protection and development of the environment.

### **2. Disaster management and fundamental principles**

#### **2.1 Concept of disaster**

Disasters are phenomena that have social, political, economic, and demographic effects in societies, and may even shake social order and drag societies into uncertainties [1]. There are various factors that affect the size and magnitude of disasters. The factors that affect the size and magnitude of disasters are as in the following:


#### **2.2 Disaster types**

Disasters are classified under separate groups according to various characteristics. Disaster types vary parallel to the development levels of countries. Because an event that is considered as a disaster by a society does not mean the same situation for another society. In general terms, disaster is an unpredictable, and therefore, an unexpected phenomenon. Disasters may be examined in two parts. The

#### *Sustainable Development after Disasters: The Case of Erbaa County DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836*

classification of disaster types is made as natural disasters and non-natural disasters, in other words, the ones caused by humans.

Natural disasters: natural disasters are dangerous events, which affect the socioeconomic and cultural activities of societies in a negative way, and cause significant losses of lives and properties. Natural disasters are evaluated under two groups in terms of their sources. Earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, landslides, and tsunamis are accepted as the disasters related to geological factors; and fires, storms, snow, ice, and fog are considered as the disasters related to atmospheric factors.

Non-natural, technological disasters: non-natural, human, and technological disasters are those that are caused by human factor and not directly caused by the nature. These disasters occur only as a result of the destructions of people. As an example, for this type of disasters, it is possible to mention industrial accidents, accidents caused by overcrowded residential areas, nuclear, biological, chemical accidents, transportation accidents, immigrants, and displaced societies.

#### **2.3 Disaster management**

Disaster management is a society-oriented management system trying to provide accurate and reliable life to the society, prevent disasters and reduce relevant harms. It shows variations according to the size of the disaster. The result of disasters affects the management of all individuals who manage and who are managed because of the disruption on life and property. For this reason, unlike other management activities, disaster management is a vital phenomenon showing that even small errors might cause significant losses of lives and properties. In this context, although it is not possible to prevent natural disasters, it is possible to decrease the losses of properties and lives caused by disasters with activities in disaster management stage. In this respect, the pre- and post-disaster activities must be considered as a whole.

 Different approaches are used in organizing and managing the policies and activities related to natural disasters with an institutional structure. The traditional one among these is defined as based on the basic factor that causes disasters. In this respect, there are activities to be done before and after a disaster. It is possible to consider natural disasters in a cyclic pattern because they are likely to be repeated in the area where they occur. Disaster management is a broad concept which includes preventing disasters, minimizing damages, being prepared for disasters, rescue in the fastest and most effective way at the time of a disaster, providing temporary hosting, providing first aid, and rebuilding activities. This type of management may be called as contemporary disaster management, and it is only possible to decrease disaster losses in a country with such a management system [3]. The basic elements of natural disaster management are given in **Figure 1** [4].

In this way, as explained separately in the figure, "Response," "Recovery," "Sensitivity Analysis," "Preparedness," "Prediction and Warning," "Reduction and Prevention," "Disaster Analysis," are the seven activities that require specific expertise and complement each other over time. Although all stages of disaster management require different expertise and many institutions and organizations have separate duties in these stages, disaster management must be handled in an integrated manner.

#### **2.4 Sustainable development after disasters**

This is the development model responding to the present needs but does not eliminate the possibility of covering the needs of future generations. Sustainable development is defined as covering today's needs by not depriving the needs of

**Figure 1.**  *Basic elements of natural disaster management [4].* 

future generations. When the concept of development is mentioned in terms of sustainability, progress in three areas comes to the agenda, which are as follows;


 With the economic crisis, which emerged in the world in the 1970s, differences were experienced in economic approaches, and this process was considered as the collapse of modernism in one sense. While capitalism, which was large-scale, mass-based, and organized, was exposed to criticism, and new production and management approaches started to emerge. When planning, which is the main and most important factor in the development literature, lost its importance in a fast pace, it was observed that national regional planning lost its importance in many countries. In addition, environmental problems that stem from the destruction of nature during the development process caused that the traditional welfare concept was questioned, and the economic understanding, which considered nature as an inexhaustible factor, was replaced by approaches which considered the environment as a factor that is necessary for human welfare. The main target of the sustainable development approach, which emerged as a result of the unbelievable damage that was caused by societies to the environment as a result of the increases in the world population and technological innovations after the industrialization era, is to decrease these damages to the lowest degree, and create a more protective awareness on the needs of future generations. In general terms, the main damages caused by humans to the environment are:


### **3. Disaster-focused sustainable development: the case of Erbaa County**

#### **3.1 General geology of the Erbaa County and surroundings**

 Erbaa and its surroundings are mostly located on Permian and Cenozoicage units. The basis of the district consists of Permo-Triassic old Turhal Group metamorphisms [5]. The main rock is covered unconformably by late-middle Jura agglomerate-sandstone and late Jura-early cretaceous limestone units. The Yumaklı Formation, which consists of conglomerate, sandstone, mudstone, shale, and marl alternation, covers these units, which are also covered by Çerkeş formation, which was formed in the terrestrial environment in an unconformable way (**Figure 2**). The youngest unit in the Erbaa basin is the Quaternary-age alluvium units filling the valley basements. Pliocene deposits and alluvions in Erbaa County consist of gravel, sand, clay, marn, and non-cemented sandstone and conglomerate [6].

Paleozoic-age formations, which constitute the basin basement in Erbaa County, were exposed to Hercynian Orogenesis and Jura, Kreatese, Paleocene, and Eocene lithological units that are on this basement and became fractured and curved with the effect of Alpine Orogenic Movements.

#### **3.2 Erbaa County earthquake status and the earthquakes that happened in its surroundings**

Erbaa County is located in an active fault zone in the North Anatolian Fault Zone. Erbaa, which is a county of Tokat, is located in the Mid-Black Sea Region and in the 1st Degree Earthquake Zone according to the Earthquake Zones Map (**Figure 3**).

The center of Erbaa County was built on the left banks of the Kelkit River. The earthquakes in 1939, 1940, 1942, and finally in 1943 in the basin of Niksar revealed the necessity of moving Erbaa County, which was located on the North Anatolian Fault Zone on alluvium, to other areas with more secure and sound grounds. In this respect, with the decision of Ministerial Cabinet in 1944, it was decided that Erbaa should be moved to an area that was called Ardıçlık, which was relatively more durable, 2 km south of its former place. Ardıçlık, which is the new area where Erbaa was moved, was formed by Pliocene deposits, which are more stable, and consisted of sandstone, conglomerate, gravel, sand, silt, and clay. In this way, the effects of a

#### **Figure 2.**

*Geological map of Erbaa County and its surroundings [7].* 

*Sustainable Development after Disasters: The Case of Erbaa County DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836* 

**Figure 3.**  *Earthquake map of Tokat and its surroundings [2].* 

**Figure 4.**  *1942 Niksar-Erbaa earthquake fracture zone [7].* 

possible earthquake were reduced by moving the town. Erbaa County was moved to the south where the alluvial thickness was less, and which was 2 km away from the 1942 Niksar-Erbaa Earthquake Fracture, on the Pliocene sediments, which were more stable (**Figure 4**). As a result, it was ensured that the possible losses that might occur due to the fault fracture were reduced.

*1939, 1940, 1942, and 1943 Earthquakes:* The first earthquake, which happened in 1939 at a magnitude of 7.9, caused major damages in Erbaa and Niksar, and 319 people lost their lives in Erbaa County center in the earthquake [8]. In the earthquake, which happened in 1940 with a magnitude of 6.2, there were 881 casualties, and 1659 buildings were destroyed. The earthquake in 1942 with the epicenter of Erbaa-Niksar, which was 7.2 in magnitude, destroyed Erbaa district center completely. Only a bath and a few wooden structures remained intact in the county. In this earthquake, which happened in Erbaa County, a total of 534 people died, 16 fires broke out, and all of the houses were destroyed in fires [9]. The 1943 Earthquake happened at a magnitude of 7.3. After the earthquakes of 1939, 1940, and 1942, since the people in the county were already living in barracks and tentstyle makeshift houses, the loss of lives and property was relatively less compared to other earthquakes. There were a total of 12 deaths in the county [7]. The loss of lives and properties in the devastating earthquakes, which happened in and after 1939 in Erbaa and its surroundings, started to mobilize local governments and solutionoriented activities were accelerated. As a result of the research that was conducted following the earthquake in 1943, it was publicly mentioned that the county that was located on the North Anatolian Fault Line and the basement were not suitable for settlements because it had alluvial materials and that Erbaa County had to be moved to a more solid ground.

#### **3.3 Sustainable development and planning of Erbaa**

With the increase in the deaths because of mortal and destructive events, which occurred after the earthquake, healthy planning was carried out (**Figure 5**). County Municipality followed a development policy that was related with development and urbanization. The settlement plan of the new county was made to include the government buildings in the center with neatly placed streets. In the new settlement, which was started to be built in 1944, firstly, 100 houses were built by the state (by Kizilay), and about 1000 houses were built by the citizens with the help of materials provided by the state, which made a total of 1100 houses [8]. In addition, a settlement was established and included administrative and cultural buildings like government buildings, town hall, primary school, market place, teachers' hall, and office of the civil servants (**Figure 6**). The new Erbaa started to improve in a fast pace with the increasing population, social needs, and municipal services. When the development directions of the city are considered, it is seen that the new city develops in all directions; however, the development is mostly toward the north (toward the moved area). In actual fact, although the construction plan of the city foresaw the growth in the southern part of the city, official buildings (monopoly

#### **Figure 5.**

*Old and new Erbaa. (A) Topographical map of old and new Erbaa [7]. (B) Geographical positions of old and new Erbaa [7].* 

*Sustainable Development after Disasters: The Case of Erbaa County DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836* 

building, warehouse, station building, office, park, etc.) seemed to be prevented from developing toward the north, and the city moved to the north of these official buildings toward the plain.

In the new establishment area, Samsun-Erzurum Motorway settlements in the north of the city attracted the settlement toward itself and thus was effective in the development of the settlement toward the north (**Figure 7**). In actual fact, the settlement boundary, which was in the south of the motorway, continued its development by moving to the opposite side of the road and progressing to the north of the highway in a fast manner. In this part of the city, new neighborhoods like Ertuğrul Gazi, Yıldırım Beyazıt, and Fatih Sultan Mehmet developed. Although it

**Figure 6.**  *Zoning Plan of New Erbaa (1944) (Scale:1/4000) [8].* 

**Figure 7.**  *Erbaa zoning plan 2019 (Erbaa Municipality) [10].* 

#### *ISBS 2019 - 4th International Sustainable Buildings Symposium*

 was expected that the city developed on a more stable surface toward the south, the development of the north toward the old settlement area became a negative development in terms of earthquake risk. This must be taken into consideration particularly in terms of the development of the city. When these drawbacks are considered, it was emphasized that the development of county toward the old settlement had to be prevented in the Geological-Geotechnical Study based on Erbaa Municipality Zoning Plan and in the evaluation of the GIS-Based Seismic Micro Evaluation of the Erbaa County in the North Anatolian Fault Zone in the TUBITAK Project [7]. The Tepeşehir project, which targeted to build 477 houses, and which was built by Erbaa Municipality in the last period (planned to reach 2000), was pioneering in urban transformation and directing the development of the city toward the south-east direction with less earthquake risk in terms of determining the direction of development of the county and establishment on a more solid ground. Erbaa Municipality started the establishment of Tepeşehir project in 2000 with its own resources and completed it in 2007 (**Figure 8**). A total of 477 houses, 69 of which are villas and 408 of which are residences, were built as the first stage of urban transformation in Tepeşehir on an area of 230 decares. The first stage of this project had cost approximately 20 million TL.

#### **Figure 8.**  *Tepeşehir residences built by Erbaa Municipality [10].*

**Figure 9.**  *Erbaa first stage park valley recreation area [10].* 

*Sustainable Development after Disasters: The Case of Erbaa County DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836* 

 In our present day, there is a risk of the city to spread toward the former settlement area again, and precautions have been taken against this. These areas have been closed to settlements and are made use of as recreation areas. The Valley Park Project of Erbaa Municipality has constituted a good example to Turkey and to the region on this issue. The Park Valley Project was offered to the use of public by Erbaa Municipality as a recreation area in an area that was not suitable for settlement because it was formed of alluvial material on the coast of Kelkit River by the Municipality of Erbaa. The first stage of this project, which was planned to be completed in four stages, was completed, and was presented to the use of public (**Figure 9**).

#### **4. Conclusion**

 The strength of the connection between disaster and sustainable development is understood better when disasters are faced. In countries like Turkey where there is a high threat of natural disasters, mainly earthquakes, due to climate and geographical location, effective policies, and strategies should be based on sustainable development. To achieve this, planned and supervised settlement and industrialization must be carried out, and natural, physical, social, economic, and environmental damages should be reduced. Especially local administrations must be trained on the awareness of natural disasters, and the damage that may occur must be minimized in this way. The concept of sustainability must not be limited in a narrow sense like the protection of the environment. In international literature, it is emphasized that it is not possible to achieve sustainable development without applying policies, strategies, and actions to reduce the risks of disasters; and it is recommended that the efforts to reduce the risks of disasters must not be considered as an element of sustainable development, but they must be considered as the prior condition of it. It is necessary to make spatial planning, and the public must be trained on awareness to define and reduce the disaster risks. However, it is not proper to limit these with pre-disaster and spatial planning activities. All disasters may cause new dangers and risks right after the event, and temporary and permanent settlement activities must minimize the risks of future disasters and provide a safer and improved life environment.

 North Anatolian Fault is a major earthquake zone where many earthquakes were faced in Turkey. This zone starts with the Gulf of Saros and the Sea of Izmit axis in the west, and stretches toward the plain of Erzincan through Adapazari, Duzce, Bolu, Kastamonu, and Kelkit Valley, then continues in the direction of Varto by passing through the northern edge of Van Lake and continues to Iran. Erbaa County, which is the subject of the present study, is located in Kelkit Valley, which is located on one of the most effective lines of this fault line. Erbaa region, which has a high agricultural potential despite the earthquake risk, has been chosen as a residential area since ancient times.

 In Erbaa, where many earthquakes occurred in the past, it was made compulsory to move the settlement to solid ground after 1939, after the successive devastating earthquakes. For this reason, the destructive earthquakes (1939–1941, 1943) were effective in changing the settlement area of Erbaa County. Former Erbaa County was located in the North Anatolian Fault Zone, and because of the presence of 1942 Niksar-Erbaa earthquake fracture and Esençay Fault which pass through the county, was located in a very risky area in terms of earthquakes. The fact that the former Erbaa was established in this area where the alumina thickness was high in the Kelkit River bed caused that the earthquakes were felt more violently. Erbaa was moved to Ardıçlık, which is a more secure ground, 2 km south from the former

settlement area with the decision of the Ministerial Cabinet in 1944 after the 1943 earthquake. When the results of this move were evaluated, the following points were concluded;


According to the Zoning Plan, which was prepared in 1944, the new settlement area and the former settlement area were separated from each other as a line, and the former area was made use of as a station, park, warehouse, and monopoly building, and was not used as a residential area. In our present day, Erbaa Municipality has started the recreation area project, and the Park Valley Project has been realized. The Park Valley Project realized by the Municipality has constituted a good example to Turkey and the region on this issue. Again, Erbaa Municipality has produced earthquake-resistant houses with less floors in the scope of 477-house Tepeşehir Project. With the Tepeşehir Project, the Municipality has pioneered urban transformation and tried to direct the spread of the city toward the southeast that has less risk in terms of earthquakes. In the Geological-Geotechnical Study based on Erbaa Municipality Zoning Plan 2009 and in the evaluation of the GIS-Based Seismic Micro-Zoning of the Erbaa County located in the North Anatolian Fault Zone in the TUBITAK Project, it was stated again that the growth of the county toward the former settlement area had to be prevented; and as a result of this, the zoning plan was renewed [6]. In addition, alterations were made in the additional and revised zoning plans by implementing spatial planning and risk-reduction works. With the additional and revised zoning plans, the shortcomings of the previous plan were eliminated.

*Sustainable Development after Disasters: The Case of Erbaa County DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836* 

#### **Author details**

Aşina Kübra Aslan1 \*, Ertuğrul Karagöl<sup>2</sup> , Arzuhan Burcu Gültekin3 , Şefik Taş 4 , Emir Sunguroğlu3 , Zekeriya Çelik<sup>5</sup> and Eren Adıgüzel6

 1 Republic of Turkey Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Ankara, Turkey

2 Erbaa Municipality, Tokat, Turkey

3 Department of Real Estate Development and Management, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey

4 Van Metropolitan Municipality, Van, Turkey

5 Department of Coaching Education, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey

6 Performans Building Inspection Company, Van, Turkey

\*Address all correspondence to: asinacomert@hotmail.com

© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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#### **Chapter 66**
