Analysis of ammonium nitrate detonation destruction in Beirut city using geospatial techniques

Abstract

Applications of geospatial techniques plays an important role in disaster management and mitigation. This study focuses to analyze how can geospatial technology could have been utilized to minimize the destruction created by the Ammonium Nitrate detonation in Beirut city. Firstly, the disaster impacts on the build-up area were demarcated using Google Earth-based survey, Remote Sensing, and ArcGIS applications. According to the analysis, it was identified that the Ammonium Nitrate detonation incident in the Beirut port has extensively damaged the built-up area within a 2 km buffer zone from the explosion. Among them, fully demolished constructions are bounded to a 1 km buffer area while partially damage and less damage to buildings were encompassed within 5 km from the epicenter of the incident. The Quantity Distance Mapping Tool results depicted more as similar results to the results obtained through the aforementioned geospatial techniques in post-disaster impact analysis. Therefore, proper planning to locate built-up areas considering vulnerable places away from the possible disaster-induced location utilizing spatial techniques like Quantity Distance Mapping Tool would be more effective in pre-disaster preparedness as we all live in a hidden catastrophic environment. Thus, lessons learned from this Ammonium Nitrate detonation incident of the Beirut city, especially the importance of risk assessment and adherence to precaution measures are needed in any chemical operation sites as well as chemical storing sites.