Environmental health assessment 200 days after earthquake-affected region in East Azerbaijan earthquake, North-Western of Iran, 2012
Abstract
Evaluating of health status and explore the challenges of health problems that threaten human
life following disasters and major earthquakes providing windows of opportunities for health
care providers in future planning of disasters. The main purpose of this report was to survey the
environmental sanitation statues after 200 days of the affected populations in earthquakes of
East Azerbaijan, northwestern of Iran, 2012. The survey was carried out in earthquake zones
200 days after the occurrence of the earthquake. A single stage cluster sampling from among 95 villages damaged in the earthquake of 2012 East
Azerbaijan of three towns Ahar, Varzeghan and Heris were selected. The data were collected
with questionnaire, site visits and evaluation of water and sanitation. In a twin Earthquake, East
Azerbaijan province that 399 villages of Ahar, Varzeghan, Heris, Tabriz and Kaleibar cities were
affected and 356 (89.2 %) villages were destroyed between 30-100%. Evaluation of water and
sanitation infrastructure after 200 days, shown that only half of these villages consumed healthy
water with high coverage and adequate. Half of the villages in 200 days after the earthquake
were covered safe drinking water (treated drinking water). The bacteriological quality of
drinking-water supply of the affected area was assessed in randomly collected 146 samples from
this region and ten (6.8%) reported as unsuitable. Solid waste management facilities in residents
have not been acceptable that affect public health. Solid waste disposal was done by district
residents (cooperation rural residents) 68.4%, 36.8% and 76.3% in Ahar, Varzeghan and Heris,
respectively. Overall, the impact of infectious and communicable diseases after Earthquake was
reported 42.1% (16 villages) in the Varzeghan. The lack of geographical view with a focus in
mountainous and rural areas, partial support and dispersion of earthquake-stricken people in
affected villages and lack of participatory need assessment and pre-crisis coordination among
various organizations led to negative effects of environmental factors on health status in villages.
Providing intra-sector coordination for waste management with a sanitary disposal of sewage
and detection hazardous materials aftermath as well as immediate measurements in the water
supply system are necessary for health promotion of the affected population in the disaster
region.
Keywords
References
- 1. Moosavi AR, Mahvi AH. Supply situation after the earthquake in Bam. Journal of Energy and Hydro Technology. 2008; 1(2):37-2. In Persian
- 2. Naddafi K, Yonesi B, Taheri T. Emergency sanitation: assesment and programme design. Tehran: Nas; 2009.
- 3. Mahvi A. H., Omran GH. A., Asgari A. R. Bam City Solid Wastes Management, Before and After the Earthquake of 26 December 2003. Journal of Military Medicine. 2006; 8(2):83-9. In Persian
- 4. Ghabili, Kamyar, et al. "Lessons from the recent twin earthquakes in Iran." PLoS currents 4 (2012).
- 5. Rikhtegar, Reza, Sina Zarrintan, and Farzad Kakaei. "Recent twin earthquakes in Iran: was volunteer assistance effective?" Prehospital and disaster medicine 28.03 (2013): 311.
- 6. Toole, Michael J., and Ronald J. Waldman. "THE PUBLIC HEALTH ASPECTS OF COMPLEX EMERGENCIES AND REFUGEE SITUATIONS 1." Annual review of public health 18.1 (1997): 283-312.
- 7. Gautschi OP, Cadosch D, Rajan G, Zellweger R. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2008 Mar-Apr; 23(2):195-201.
- 8. Tobin, Graham A. "Sustainability and community resilience: the holy grail of hazards planning." Global Environmental Change Part B: Environmental Hazards 1.1 (1999): 13- 25.
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Health Care Administration
Journal Section
Report
Authors
Alihossein Zeinalzadeh
This is me
Iran
Behrooz Mohammad Alizadeh
This is me
Iran
Pouran Raeisi
This is me
Javad Babaei
This is me
Rozita Firooznia
This is me
Mohammad Ghanbari Ghozikali
This is me
Somaieh Roohani Majd
This is me
Mohsen Farajallah Bike Nouri
This is me
Khamnian Zhila
This is me
Publication Date
April 27, 2017
Submission Date
July 5, 2017
Acceptance Date
May 21, 2016
Published in Issue
Year 2017 Volume: 15 Number: 1