Planning the optimal debris removal of destroyed buildings in the Midan region in the Old City of Mosul

Abstract

After the liberation of the Old City in Mosul, the Midan region appears to be the most affected part of the Old City. In the current study, debris of the Midan region was studied in detail by defining the destroyed areas using geographic information systems (GIS), then calculating the volume and weight of the total debris. The ratio of each component of debris (building stones, gypsum and concrete) was also determined during the study. The results showed that the destruction was about 89.47% of the Midan total area. In addition, the study showed that the total volume of the debris in the Midan area is estimated at 0.73 million cubic meters, the residential buildings accounting for about 86.87% of the total volume of the debris. The total weight of debris is estimated at 1.2 million tons, of which 0.91 million tons are the ruins of old building materials (building stones, gypsum).

Finally, the optimal route for collecting the debris from the Midan region was found by utilizing ArcGIS network analyst extension, taking into account the archaeological sites in the study area, the proposed collection system assumed to have the benefits of minimizing collection time, distance travelled, man-effort and consequently financial and environmental costs. Total distance and accumulated time were illustrated in a table providing detailed information on the proposed route.