Batken Region, Leilek District, Bulak-Bashy Village, Destroyed Warehouse of Obsolete Pesticides

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Coordinates: 39.984443, 69.587456



In the Batken region, 3 sites were identified from previous inventories. One additional site was indicated by territorial representatives of the State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry (former agricultural chemistry warehouse near the city of Batken). In total, 4 sites were surveyed.
At the WS-218 Batken agricultural chemistry site in the Leilek district, there are no stored HW, and there are also no traces on the soil. According to local residents, there may be burial sites for HW in a pit for pomace (by partial backfilling with soil). Sharp smells are occasionally present. It is difficult to assess the total amount of contaminated soil or buried pesticides; there are contaminated areas with an approximate volume of up to 15 cubic meters.

The WS178 / WS-127 site in the Leilek district, in the village of Besh-Bala, saw the burial of about 50 barrels of Nitrafen in 2000-2002. According to eyewitnesses, the burial was excavated in 2005, the barrels were sold, leaving only 3 full barrels of Nitrafen. The area of the former burial site is located 50-100 m from the settlement, 300 m from the river. The burial site appears to be destroyed, and according to local residents, the metal barrels were stolen later. Soil contamination is possible. It is difficult to assess the total amount of contaminated soil or buried pesticides; there are areas with atypical dark spots with an approximate volume of up to 10 cubic meters.

The warehouse of the former Raicelkhim WS179 / WS-128 in the Leilek district, in the village of Bulak-Bashy, is privately owned and not guarded around the clock. The distance from the nearest house is about 50 m. The warehouse, where a lot of HW is stored, is not locked, and the window is open. There is a possibility of unauthorized access. The roof of the warehouse is partially destroyed, with HW in damaged packaging totaling 4500 kg (Protrazin), and there is a sharp smell. There are no metal barrels.

To date, despite the abundance of previously implemented projects for the inventory of obsolete pesticides, contrary to national legislation:
• there are no laboratory data bases on waste composition;
• waste passports are absent;
• regular monitoring of the condition 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;
• laboratories have insufficient capacity to conduct analyses on obsolete pesticides, including POPs;
• information on the composition of obsolete pesticides is lacking in the regulatory bodies;
• further research is required on the owners of some warehouses/land where points with obsolete pesticides are located;
• training for local government employees and regulatory bodies is necessary;
• responsibility for improper handling of hazardous waste needs to be tightened.

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. This requires addressing the issue of equipping laboratories, training personnel, and obtaining accreditation in accordance with GOST ISO/IEC 17025-2019.

Additionally, it is essential to continuously monitor the condition of pollution points with obsolete pesticides and to repackage and store waste in a temporary storage facility that meets national legislation requirements. Repackaging, construction of a temporary storage facility, 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 under the control of environmental regulatory bodies.
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 sites of obsolete pesticides.

Full report on the inventory of obsolete pesticides (HW) in Chui, Talas, Naryn, Issyk-Kul, Jalal-Abad, Osh, and Batken regions