Aiyl District of Zhany-Zher, Village of Zhany-Zher, Destroyed Warehouse of Obsolete Pesticides

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Coordinates: 43.109341, 74.401987



The Chuy region has been most affected by anthropogenic influence in the north of the republic. Most warehouses have been destroyed, and the territorial relocation/storage of previously stored hazardous waste is unknown. During the inventory, a large number of contaminated areas of former warehouses with unidentified hazardous waste were discovered, with contaminated packaging leaking into the soil, possibly into groundwater.

In total, more than 96 sites were identified in the Chuy region from past inventories, of which the location of 45 sites could not be established (the sites had previously been noted as completely destroyed, with no odor, 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 were surveyed in the Chuy region, many of the sites from past 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 Inspection for Environmental and Technical Safety (after the restructuring of the government - GCEC) and the State Committee for Environmental Protection. Locations of old warehouses were established using old photographs and Google Earth Pro. Most warehouses have a smaller amount 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 the warehouses collapsed). Hazardous waste stored in metal containers could represent secondary metal usage interests.

During the survey, 21 sites with completely destroyed warehouses were identified, with no odor, hazardous waste, or traces on the ground present. The absence of traces on the ground could 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 over 130 cubic meters, in addition to a large amount of contaminated dust/soil/construction debris (the exact amount has not been established, presumably over 100 cubic meters).

Even vacant warehouses have a pronounced chemical odor. Among the relatively preserved warehouses, three points should be noted:
1) In the city of Kant, JSC "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 the past 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 warehouse in the Jany-Jer district, village of Jany-Jer is privately owned. The warehouse itself is unguarded and in poor condition. In past 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 free his warehouses from hazardous waste, otherwise, he will transport and bury the bags with hazardous waste.

3) Located in the Pre-Tchenka district, village of Pre-Tchenka, OJSC "Chekir-Suu". The owners freed the warehouses for their own needs and moved 48 bags of pesticides to a new warehouse (WS-35a). During transportation, "two bags were lost." At the old site, remnants of packaging are present, there is a sharp odor, and possible residues 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.

Today, despite the abundance of previously conducted projects for the inventory of outdated pesticides, contrary to national legislation:
• There are no laboratory data bases on the composition of the waste;
• There are no waste passports;
• Regular monitoring of the state 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 of outdated pesticides, including POPs;
• There is no information on the composition of outdated pesticides in the regulatory bodies;
• Additional research is required on the owners of some warehouses/land where points with outdated pesticides are located.
• Training for local government employees, inspectors, and regulatory bodies is necessary;
• Responsibility for improper handling of hazardous waste needs to be tightened.

Conclusions
According to the Stockholm Convention on POPs (Article 6 (d) (ii)), POPs containing waste 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 resolve the issue of equipping laboratories, training personnel, and obtaining accreditation in accordance with GOST ISO/IEC 17025-2019.

In addition, it is necessary to constantly monitor the condition of pollution points with outdated pesticides and to repack and place the waste in a temporary storage warehouse that meets the requirements of national legislation. 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 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 regulatory bodies.
To achieve this, it is necessary to initiate the process of maximum legalization of the data obtained from the inventory.
Past 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 sites of outdated pesticides.

Full report on the inventory of outdated pesticides (OP) in the Chuy, Talas, Naryn, Issyk-Kul, Jalal-Abad, Osh, and Batken regions