Turkiye: post-earthquake reconstruction cost estimated at $45bn

A Turkish newspaper has estimated that the reconstruction cost covering the ten provinces devastated by the recent earthquakes will be $45 billion. According to ekonomim, hundreds of thousands of residential and commercial buildings will have to be demolished and infrastructure such as roads and water, electricity and sewage networks will have to be repaired or replaced.

“This figure equals 30 per cent of the 2023 budget deficit,” said the newspaper, “which is nearly double the figure allocated in the budget for investment in public institutions.”

Experts estimate the cost of removing rubble for each building at an average of $13,000. Recycling rubble should be able to generate $265 million.

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According to Mehmet Bulut, the former head of the Association of Demolition Contractors, the demolition and removal of rubble may require about a month for each building, while the complete removal and disposal of the rubble will take about a year. He pointed out that companies will need to invest in advanced machinery, and that around 16,000 people will have to be assigned to simultaneous demolition operations.

The President of the Earthquake Strengthening Association (DEGUDER), Sinan Turkkan, warned that it will not be possible to remove rubble quickly due to the possibility of finding corpses underneath. “Nevertheless, recycling facilities should be set up in the rubble collection areas. The rubble can be used in road construction and as packing material. It can also be used in new construction.”

The Turkish government has committed to building new housing units with an area of 105 square metres for earthquake survivors, at an expected cost of $83,000 per unit, including infrastructure expenses, it was announced by the Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, Murat Korum.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared that reconstruction will begin in March, with the aim of rebuilding the earthquake zone within a year.

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