Panfilov District. Bukara Village. Destroyed Warehouse of Obsolete Pesticides
Panfilov District. Bukara Village. Destroyed storage facility for outdated pesticides.
The storage facility is completely destroyed, there is no smell, no hazardous waste, no traces on the soil.
The greatest anthropogenic impact in the north of the republic has been experienced by the Chui region. Most storage facilities are destroyed, and the territorial movement/location of previously stored hazardous waste is unknown. During the inventory, a large number of contaminated areas of former storage facilities with unidentified hazardous waste, contaminated packaging leaking into the soil, possibly into groundwater, were also discovered.
In total, more than 96 sites have been identified in the Chui region from previous inventories, of which the location could not be established for 45 sites (these sites previously had a note stating that the storage facility is completely destroyed, there is no smell, no hazardous waste, and there are no mentions of soil contamination). These sites may be potentially dangerous, as soil contamination may be significant in some areas.
More than 51 sites have been surveyed in the Chui region, and many sites from previous inventories were indicated with incorrect coordinates. The search for such sites was conducted with the involvement of local government leaders and territorial specialists from the State Inspectorate for Environmental and Technical Safety (after the restructuring of the government - GKEK) and the Department of Agriculture and Land Use. Locations of old storage facilities were established using old photographs and Google Earth Pro. Most storage facilities have a smaller quantity of pesticides compared to previous data. Some hazardous waste was lost during the change of ownership of the sites, and some due to atmospheric precipitation (when the roofs of the storage facilities collapsed). Hazardous waste stored in metal containers could represent an interest for secondary metal use.
During the survey, 21 sites with completely destroyed storage facilities were identified, with no smell, no hazardous waste, and no traces on the soil. The absence of traces on the soil may have been obscured by the application of "clean" soil, and soil contamination cannot be ruled out.
The total amount of hazardous waste requiring repackaging and storage exceeds 130 cubic meters, in addition to a large amount of contaminated dust/soil/construction debris (the exact amount has not been established, presumably more than 100 cubic meters).
Even vacant storage facilities have a pronounced chemical smell. Among the relatively preserved storage facilities, three points should be noted:
1) In the city of Kant, JSC "MIS" (according to the guards, it belongs to A. Zhaparova). The storage facility is in good condition, although there is a strong smell of pesticides. The area is guarded, although the storage facility itself does not have locks on the doors. As a result, some pesticides relative to the previous inventory were stolen. The hazardous waste is stored in undamaged packaging, allowing the names of the pesticides to be read. The waste passport is missing.
2) The storage facility in the Jany-Jer district, village of Jany-Jer, is privately owned. The storage facility is unguarded and in poor condition. During previous inventories, the owner of the storage facility was promised that the pesticides would be repackaged and removed. As a result, the owner does not feel responsible for storing hazardous waste and demands to clear his storage facilities of hazardous waste, otherwise he will remove and bury the bags with hazardous waste.
3) Located in the Predtechensky district, village of Predtechenka, OKH "Chekir-Suu". The owners cleared the storage facilities for their own needs and moved 48 bags of pesticides to a new storage facility (WS-35a). During transportation, "two bags were lost." At the old site, there are remnants of packaging, a sharp smell is present, and there may be residues in the soil. People live directly through the wall of the former storage facility. Access to the old storage facility is free, and children were playing near the storage facility at the time of the inventory.
To date, despite the abundance of previously implemented projects for the inventory of outdated pesticides, contrary to national legislation:
• There are no laboratory data bases on the composition of waste;
• There are no waste passports;
• Regular monitoring of the condition of outdated pesticide waste is not conducted (only within the framework of international projects);
• There is no executive authority responsible for the storage and disposal of waste;
• Insufficient laboratory capacity for conducting analyses on outdated pesticides, including POPs;
• There is no information on the composition of outdated pesticides in the supervisory authorities;
• Additional research is required on the owners of some storage facilities/land where points with outdated pesticides are located.
• Training of local government officials, supervisory and controlling authorities is necessary;
• It is necessary to tighten responsibility for improper handling of hazardous waste.
Conclusions
In accordance with the Stockholm Convention on POPs (Article 6 (d) (ii)), waste containing POPs must be destroyed. To find environmentally acceptable methods for the disposal of outdated pesticides, the exact composition of the waste is necessary. To achieve this, it is necessary to address the issue of equipping laboratories, training personnel, and obtaining accreditation in accordance with GOST ISO/IEC 17025-2019.
In addition, it is necessary to continuously monitor the condition of pollution points with outdated pesticides and to repack and place the waste in a temporary storage facility that meets the requirements of national legislation. Repackaging, construction of a temporary storage facility, and disposal must be accompanied by an environmental impact assessment procedure and obtaining a positive conclusion from the state ecological expertise. For all waste, the owner must present waste passports and obtain permits for the storage of hazardous waste.
The process of storing and disposing of hazardous waste must be under the control of environmental supervisory authorities.
To do this, it is necessary to initiate the process of maximum legalization of the data obtained as a result of the inventory.
Previous inventories did not become the basis for creating a monitoring system for the management of outdated pesticides. As a result, a large volume of uncontrolled hazardous waste has become a threat to the environment, life, and health of the population living near the points of placement of outdated pesticides.
Full report on the inventory of outdated pesticides (OP) in the Chui, Talas, Naryn, Issyk-Kul, Jalal-Abad, Osh, and Batken regions
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