Ayil District Ak-Dobo, Village Kyzyl-Sai, Kochorkul Street. Destroyed warehouses of outdated pesticides
At the site, there are 3 completely destroyed warehouses. In the 1st warehouse, there are hazardous substances (HS), in the 2nd - contaminated soil, in the 3rd - no HS and no odor. The site is not guarded. The warehouses are located near a populated area. The distance from the Talas River (which flows into the Kirov Reservoir, from where agricultural lands in the Talas region of Kyrgyzstan and the Zhambyl region of Kazakhstan are irrigated) is 200 m (there is a high probability of HS entering the river, as the warehouses are located above the river). Locals complain about a strong smell of pesticides, and there have been cases of illness among children living near the warehouses. During our visit to the site, we witnessed children playing on the premises and dragging a barrel that had contained Nitrafen. There are remnants of bags with powder, a sharp smell is present, and residues in the soil are washed away by water flows during precipitation at the site of the 3 warehouses, which are completely destroyed: 1st - has HS, 2nd - has contaminated soil, 3rd - has neither odor nor HS. Warehouse: 6x4 m. Mixed HS volume - 24 m³; Nitrafen - 1 barrel x 25 kg. = 25 kg; Contaminated soil volume - 40 m³. Obsolete pesticides - 9,600 kg, empty 25-liter metal barrel - 1 piece.
In total, 3 sites were identified in the Talas region from previous inventories, and only one site had clear coordinates.
Three sites were surveyed, and additional sites were discovered with the involvement of local government leaders and territorial specialists from the State Inspection for Environmental and Technical Safety (GIEBT) and the Department of Chemical Safety of the Kyrgyz Republic (DHKZR). One point was found on the territory of former agricultural chemical warehouses (no traces of HS were found, a sharp smell is present). Additionally, a pit for mixing pesticides was identified (no traces of HS were found, no odor), and another point was located near the settlement of Kara-Bura (completely destroyed, no traces of HS found, no odor). The warehouse that had clear coordinates has a smaller quantity of pesticides compared to previous data. The area is completely abandoned and has parts of destroyed buildings. Most of the HS were lost due to atmospheric precipitation (during the destruction of the warehouse roofs). There is particular concern about direct runoff into the Talas River.
The total amount of HS requiring repackaging and storage exceeds 2 cubic meters. In addition, there is a large amount of contaminated dust/soil/construction debris (the exact amount is currently unknown, presumably over 10 cubic meters).
To date, despite the abundance of previously conducted projects on the inventory of obsolete 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 state of obsolete 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 obsolete pesticides, including POPs;
• There is no information on the composition of obsolete pesticides in the inspecting authorities;
• Additional research is required on the owners of some warehouses/land where points with obsolete pesticides are located.
• Training for local government employees and inspecting 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 obsolete pesticides, an accurate 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.
Additionally, it is necessary to continuously monitor the state of pollution points with obsolete 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 (EIA) 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 conducted under the supervision of environmental inspection authorities.
To this end, it is necessary to initiate the process of maximum legalization of the data obtained from the inventory.
Previous inventories did not serve as a basis for creating a monitoring system for the management of obsolete 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 obsolete pesticides.
Full report on the inventory of obsolete pesticides (HS) in Chui, Talas, Naryn, Issyk-Kul, Jalal-Abad, Osh, and Batken regions
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