Environmental Impact From The Earthquake In Haiti

Environmental Impact of Haiti Earthquake
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Introduction
When it comes to environmental devastation. Earthquakes are definitely up there as one of the most devastating natural calamities. Earthquakes are in the same category as tornadoes and tsunamis, since they have a real potential of wreaking havoc on buildings and other structures, both natural and artificial. Earthquakes occur in areas that lie on plat boundaries. Whenever these plates move, then the boundary between them results in either a collision or extension of the same. During such movements, a lot of energy is generated, while it also results in earthquakes. As a result, areas such as the Caribbean, Japan, and Indonesia suffer more from these earthquakes, since their landmasses lie on interlocking, constantly moving plate boundaries. The environmental impact of earthquakes is well illustrated by the Haiti earthquake.
Discussion
First, is the waste from the resultant devastation. When the earthquake struck the island, much of the infrastructure on the ground was destroyed. Buildings especially, crumbled and became debris(Earthtalk). The debris formed from such, is composed tons and tons of steel, broken glasses, rocks and cement, as well as all the other materials that were used in the construction. The debris was too much that it was virtually impossible for the nation’s environmental waste management system to contain. The result is an environmental eyesore, since these debris are virtually nonbiodegradable, and there is no way that they can just decompose and disappear. Clearing such takes time and a lot of other resources as well, which can be rather tough for a developing nation like Haiti (Scientific American, 2017).
Secondly, is the pollution resulting from the mixture of various chemicals and wastes that might have broken free afte...