Pollution and Contamination of the Andijan-Say River, Dangi Canyon

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Coordinates: 40.353414, 72.610113

Any unauthorized dump is not only very unaesthetic but also dangerous. Each such pile is a kind of chemical laboratory, producing harmful toxins and spreading contaminated substances around it. Atmospheric precipitation, passing through heaps of garbage like a filter, enters the soil and then into underground waters, rivers, and lakes, altering their chemical and physical composition. An unauthorized dump, like a legal one, is a real breeding ground for infection. Such places quickly attract mice and rats, birds, cats, and dogs.

Dumps cause significant harm to nature and the environment, violating existing sanitary and hygiene norms and requirements. Chemical substances that do not undergo biochemical decomposition in waste materials are released into the environment. When waste ignites, harmful compounds enter the air. The leachate formed at illegal dumps has a toxic effect on groundwater and underground waters used as sources of drinking water.

The most harmful are chemical liquids remaining in used containers from fuels, lubricants, and detergents. One volume of petroleum product, whether crude oil or its distillates—gasoline, kerosene, and other fuels—renders absolutely unfit for life two million (2,000,000) equal volumes of water. Therefore, even seemingly insignificant amounts of these liquids left at the bottom of cans, bottles, and other containers can lead to the death of aquatic inhabitants in a small pond or lake. This is because petroleum products form a thin film on the water, disrupting gas exchange, the nature of surface agitation, and heat transfer. Modern machine oil causes particularly great harm to nature; in addition to the general harmful effects common to all petroleum products, it is also very toxic due to the additives used in modern oils.

Surfactants (detergents) cause enormous damage to nature. When they enter the soil and water, they disrupt the water absorption regime in plants. Like petroleum products, they create surface films that hinder the reception and nutrition of aquatic animals.

Not only "aesthetic" but also quite real damage to animals and plants is caused by heaps of small and seemingly "cellular" waste (netted packaging, boxes with rods, and other packaging items with numerous holes of varying calibers). Small waste ingested by animals often leads to blockage of the esophagus, damage to the gastrointestinal tract, and even, like cellular packaging, asphyxiation.

Abandoned fishing gear, especially nets, pose a particular danger. The harm from such nets is due to the fact that the accumulated dead fish within them become a source of diseases, and during the winter and summer heat, due to decay, they cause so-called "fish kills," leading to mass deaths of fish and other aquatic organisms. The situation is aggravated by the fact that nets and other fishing gear made from durable, non-decomposing synthetic materials (spools of fishing line) retain their harmful properties often for several, and sometimes even dozens of years.

Sheet polymer materials (polyethylene film, plastic bags, etc.) cause effects related to mulching surfaces of land and water, which in turn leads to local redistribution of moisture and evaporation regimes. The light flow is also altered, leading to changes in soil and water temperature. Sheet materials, covering areas of relief and water bodies, create special conditions favorable for the development of both beneficial (feed organisms) and pathogenic microflora (pathogenic bacteria and fungi).

Food products left in the "wild" can also have both positive and clearly negative effects on natural communities of organisms. In the first case, food left by tourists serves as feed for animals or organic fertilizer for plants. In the second case, the accumulation of organic matter can lead to excessive enrichment of the water body with nutrients, resulting in degradation of biological diversity and other negative consequences.

The outcome of this concerning rivers and lakes can be quite tragic. Here are some examples. Deterioration of habitat quality leads to a whole chain of negative consequences: the living conditions of microorganisms change, some populations die out, while others reproduce excessively, disrupting the ecological balance of ecosystems. Mutations occur in fish and aquatic and coastal inhabitants. The reproductive function of living organisms is disrupted. When certain plastics and materials decompose, micro-particles smaller than 5 mm are formed. As a result, they enter the tissues of aquatic inhabitants, primarily fish.

Aquatic pathogens in the form of pathogenic bacteria and viruses, resulting from the activities of humans and animals, are the main cause of diseases due to contaminated drinking water. The most dangerous diseases arising from the consumption of contaminated water are cholera and typhoid fever. Even in developed countries, accidental or illegal discharges from treatment facilities, as well as runoff from farms and urban areas, lead to the presence of harmful pathogenic microorganisms in surface and groundwater.

Another danger comes from waters contaminated with heavy metals; substances such as lead, mercury, and arsenic can cause various health problems. The situation is further aggravated by serious water pollution from pesticides and nitrate fertilizers.

Once these substances enter the body, they begin to wreak havoc, provoking a wide range of diseases from cancer to hormone disruption and changes in brain function. Children and pregnant women are particularly at risk. Even swimming can be dangerous. According to statistics, Kyrgyz citizens annually face health problems such as skin rashes, acute shock, respiratory infections, and hepatitis in coastal waters contaminated with wastewater.