Batken Region, Leilek District, Besh-Bala Village, Destroyed Warehouse of Obsolete Pesticides
In this area, around 50 barrels of Nitrafen were buried between 2000 and 2002. According to eyewitnesses, the burial site was excavated in 2005, the barrels were sold, and at the time of arrival, 3 full barrels of Nitrafen were found. The site is located 50-100 m from the settlement and 300 m from the river. The burial site appears to be destroyed, and the metal barrels were reportedly stolen by local residents. Soil contamination is possible. Nitrafen - 3 barrels x 25 liters. containers = 75 l.
In the Batken region, 3 sites were identified from previous inventories. An additional site was indicated by territorial representatives of the State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry (former agricultural chemicals warehouse near the city of Batken). In total, 4 sites were surveyed.
At the WS-218 site in the Batken agricultural chemistry of the Leilek district, there are no stored hazardous waste, and there are also no traces on the soil. According to local residents, there may be hazardous waste buried in a pit for pulp (by partial backfilling with soil). In some places, a sharp odor is present. The total amount of contaminated soil or buried pesticides is difficult to estimate; there are contaminated areas with an approximate volume of up to 15 cubic meters.
At the WS178/WS-127 site in the Leilek district, in the village of Besh-Bala, around 50 barrels of Nitrafen were buried between 2000 and 2002. According to eyewitnesses, the burial site was excavated in 2005, the barrels were sold, and only 3 full barrels of Nitrafen remained. The area of the former burial site is located 50-100 m from the settlement and 300 m from the river. The burial site appears to be destroyed, and the metal barrels were reportedly stolen later by local residents. Soil contamination is possible. The total amount of contaminated soil or buried pesticides is difficult to estimate; there are areas with atypical dark spots with an approximate volume of up to 10 cubic meters.
The former Raiselekhim warehouse WS179/WS-128 in the Leilek district, in the village of Bulak-Bashy, is privately owned and is not guarded around the clock. The distance from the nearest house is about 50 m. The warehouse, where many hazardous wastes are stored, is not locked, and the window is open. There is a possibility of unauthorized access. The roof of the warehouse is partially destroyed, and there are hazardous wastes in damaged packaging weighing 4500 kg (Prozine), with a sharp odor present. 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 the composition of waste;
• there are no Waste Passports;
• 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;
• insufficient laboratory capacity for conducting analyses on obsolete pesticides, including POPs;
• there is no information on the composition of obsolete pesticides in the supervisory authorities;
• additional research is required on the owners of some warehouses/land where points with obsolete pesticides are located;
• training for local government officials and supervisory and regulatory 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, 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 pollution points with obsolete pesticides and to repackage and place the 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 procedure and obtaining a positive conclusion from the state environmental 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 maximizing the legalization of the data obtained from the inventory.
Previous inventories did not serve as the 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 (OP) in Chuy, Talas, Naryn, Issyk-Kul, Jalal-Abad, Osh, and Batken regions
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