Jalal-Abad Region, Suzak District, Spasovka Village, Kyzyl-Tuu. Destroyed Warehouse of Obsolete Pesticides
This former agricultural airfield was used for storing pesticides and fertilizers. The airfield is no longer in use, and there is no part of the asphalt runway left. Altogether, the runway, pesticide and fertilizer warehouses occupy about 1 hectare. The warehouse is privately owned, built over with new constructions, and there is a small pile of asbestos-containing waste mixed with grain husks; there is no smell, no hazardous waste, and no traces on the soil.
The Jalal-Abad region has been subjected to the greatest anthropogenic impact in the southern areas of the Kyrgyz Republic. Most warehouses have been destroyed, and the territorial relocation/placement of previously stored hazardous waste is unknown. During the inventory, a large number of contaminated areas of former warehouses with unidentified hazardous waste were found, along with contaminated packaging leaking pesticides into the soil and groundwater. More than 11 sites have been identified from previous inventories in the Jalal-Abad region, and an additional 8 sites were indicated by territorial representatives of the State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry of the Kyrgyz Republic. A total of 19 sites were surveyed.
The main sites include the burial grounds Suzaka-A, Suzaka-B, and the burials in Ala-Buka and Zhil-Kol. In 1973, burial was conducted at Suzaka-A in the Ak-Chabyr area of the Suzaka district of the Jalal-Abad region, where approximately 2000 - 3000 tons of outdated pesticides were buried. The burial site is fenced with barbed wire, but access is free. This work was funded by a small grants program. There is security, but the guardhouse is destroyed. Signs of recent excavations were found.
In the 1970s and 1980s, burials were conducted at the Suzaka-B burial ground in the Tash-Baka Kungoy area, near the village of Kyzyl-Bayram, Jalal-Abad region. According to the State Committee for Ecology and Climate (SCEC), approximately 1300 tons of various hazardous waste have been buried in total. Currently, the condition of the burial site is satisfactory (fenced, with video cameras near the guardhouse, powered by autonomous electricity using solar panels). No signs of recent excavations were found.
The burials in Ala-Buka were not properly registered. All hazardous waste from the warehouse (the former pesticide warehouse is destroyed) of the Production Association "Agricultural Chemistry" in the Ala-Buka district was buried 200 meters south of the warehouse. The area has been leveled with imported soil, and a large site has been prepared for construction. Soil monitoring for pesticides is necessary.
The burial site of Zhil-Kol indicates that there has been extraction of hazardous waste, and most of it may already be irretrievably lost. The surface of the site shows evidence of old excavations. Nearby, another location with deep pits was found, possibly indicating soil contamination. Surrounding pastures are located where animals graze. The burial site is situated in a small valley. All pesticides from the Uch-Korgon warehouses were brought to this location and buried. According to local residents, the buried stocks were mainly insecticides; cattle were treated with pesticides (presumably DDT).
During the survey, 6 sites in private ownership with partially or completely destroyed warehouses were identified. There are no smells, hazardous waste, or traces on the soil in the area. 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 owners of the sites do not know the locations of the old volumes of hazardous waste.
At present, the exact quantity of hazardous waste stored in the burial grounds requiring repackaging and storage has not been established. More than 10 cubic meters of hazardous waste remain at the former warehouses. The estimated amount of contaminated soil is over 60 cubic meters.
It should be noted that the GEF-UNEP project "Demonstration of Non-Thermal Treatment of Waste Containing DDT in Central Asian Countries (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan)" plans to dispose of waste in the Suzaka-A and Suzaka-B burial grounds. These works must be accompanied by the development of project documentation, obtaining a positive conclusion from the state ecological expertise on the disposal technology, feasibility study, environmental impact assessment, as well as monitoring possible emissions of persistent organic pollutants into the environment throughout the disposal process.
To date, despite the abundance of previously implemented projects on 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 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 for conducting analyses on outdated pesticides, including persistent organic pollutants;
• 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 points with outdated pesticides are located.
• training for local government officials, 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 Persistent Organic Pollutants (Article 6 (d) (ii)), waste containing persistent organic pollutants must be destroyed. To find environmentally acceptable methods for the disposal of outdated pesticides, the exact composition of the waste is necessary. To achieve 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 contamination points with outdated pesticides and to repack and place 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 ecological expertise. For all waste, the owner must provide waste passports and obtain permits for the storage of hazardous waste.
The process of storage and disposal of hazardous waste must be conducted under the supervision of environmental regulatory authorities.
To this end, it is necessary to initiate the process of maximum legalization of the data obtained from the inventory.
Previous inventories have not laid the foundation for creating a monitoring system for the handling 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 locations of outdated pesticides.
Full report on the inventory of outdated pesticides in Chuy, Talas, Naryn, Issyk-Kul, Jalal-Abad, Osh, and Batken regions
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