Jailysky District, Ak-Bashat Rural Community, Village of Ak-Bashat. Destroyed Warehouse of Obsolete Pesticides
Jaiyl District, Ak-Bashat Ayil District, village of Ak-Bashat. Destroyed warehouse of outdated pesticides.
The warehouse 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 warehouses 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 warehouses with unidentified hazardous waste and 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 of 45 sites could not be established (the sites had previously been noted as completely destroyed warehouses, with no smell, no hazardous waste, and 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 Agency for Environmental and Technical Safety (after the government structure reform - GKEK) and the Ministry of Agriculture. Using old photographs and Google Earth Pro, the locations of old warehouses were established. Most warehouses have a smaller quantity of pesticides compared to past data. Some hazardous waste was lost during the change of landowners, and some due to atmospheric precipitation (when the roofs of warehouses collapsed). Hazardous waste stored in metal containers may represent an interest for secondary metal use.
During the survey, 21 sites with completely destroyed warehouses 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 is more than 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 warehouses have a pronounced smell of chemicals. Among the relatively preserved warehouses, three locations should be noted:
1) In the city of Kant, AO "MIS" (according to the guards, it belongs to A. Zhaparova). The warehouse is in good condition, although there is a strong smell of pesticides. The area is guarded, although the warehouse itself has no locks on the doors. As a result, some pesticides relative to past inventories 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 warehouse in the Jany-Jer district, village of Jany-Jer, is privately owned. The warehouse itself is unguarded and in poor condition. In previous inventories, the owner 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 warehouses of hazardous waste, otherwise he will take and bury the bags with hazardous waste.
3) Located in the Predtechensky district, village of Predtechenka, OJSC "Chekir-Suu". The owners cleared the warehouses for their own needs and moved 48 bags of pesticides to a new warehouse (WS-35a). During transportation, "two bags were lost." Remnants of packaging remain at the old site, a sharp smell is present, and residues may be in the soil. People live directly through the wall of the former warehouse. Access to the old warehouse is free, and children were playing near the warehouse 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 to conduct 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 warehouses/land where sites with outdated pesticides are located.
• Training of local government officials and 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. For this, it is essential 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 sites contaminated with outdated pesticides and to repack and place waste in a temporary storage warehouse that meets national legislation requirements. Repackaging, construction of a temporary storage warehouse, 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 provide 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 this end, 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 supervision 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 sites of outdated pesticides.
Full report on the inventory of outdated pesticides in the Chui, Talas, Naryn, Issyk-Kul, Jalal-Abad, Osh, and Batken regions
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