Jalal-Abad Region, Bazar-Korgon District, Village of Mogol-Korgon. Destroyed Warehouse of Obsolete Pesticides
At site No. 10 – 2 warehouses: Warehouse 1 is to the north of the road on the left, Warehouse 2 is on the right, and Warehouse 3 is to the south of the road near the airfield. Warehouse 1 was previously used as a garage; it contains about 7 m3 of a mixture of unknown pesticides in old polyethylene and cotton bags and sacks, and there are 2-3 metal barrels. Warehouse 2 is in good condition - it has 5 separate rooms. It contains approximately 4 m3 of pesticides, of which 1 m3 is an unknown mixture and 3 m3 is Rideon. There is a concrete pool measuring 3 x 5 x 2 m in front of Warehouse 2, filled with a dark oily liquid with a strong pesticide smell. A 200-liter metal barrel was floating on top. A former agronomist said that the pool contains 6 x 200-liter barrels of Fazalon (insecticide). Locals collected barrels for metal waste and poured the contents into the pool with rainwater. Composite samples of the upper 30 cm of soil around the first two warehouses were collected to determine the level of soil contamination: MK-P1 (background; r=6-10 m; 3 CSS), MK-P2 (r=0-6 m; 4 CSS). Below, there is rocky soil, and no samples were taken. Warehouse 1: 18x8 m; Warehouse 2: 15x13 m; The warehouse is partially destroyed, with hazardous waste in damaged packaging of about 6 cubic meters, and there is a sharp smell. There are no metal barrels or cardboard boxes. The pool is partially filled with debris and rotting barrels: • 1x 200-liter metal barrel, empty • ~ 8 m3 of unknown pesticides (torn bags with powders) • ~ 3 m3 of Rideon (powder) in cardboard boxes • ~ 15 m3 of heavily contaminated water in the concrete pool
The greatest anthropogenic impact in the southern regions of the Kyrgyz Republic has affected the Jalal-Abad region. Most warehouses are 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 discovered, 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. In total, 19 sites were surveyed.
The main sites are the burial grounds Suzaka-A, Suzaka-B, and the burials in Ala-Buka and Zhil-Kol. In 1973, the burial of Suzaka A was conducted in the Ak-Chabyr area of the Suzaka district of the Jalal-Abad region, where approximately 2000 - 3000 tons of obsolete pesticides were buried. The burial site is fenced with barbed wire, but access is free. This work was carried out under a small grants program. There is security, but the guardhouse is destroyed. Signs of recent excavations were found.
In the 1970s-1980s, burials were conducted at the Suzaka B burial ground in the Tash-Baka Kunghey area, near the village of Kyzyl-Bayram, Jalal-Abad region. According to the State Committee for Ecology and Climate (GKEK), approximately 1300 tons of various hazardous waste have been buried in total. Currently, the condition of the burial site is satisfactory (fenced, there are video cameras near the guardhouse, with autonomous power supply using solar panels). No signs of fresh excavations were found.
The burials in Ala-Buka did not undergo proper registration. All hazardous waste from the warehouse (the former pesticide warehouse is destroyed) of the Production Association "Agricultural Chemistry" in the Ala-Buka district were buried 200 m south of the warehouse. This 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 was extraction of hazardous waste, most of which may have already been irretrievably lost. The surface of the site shows signs of old excavations. Nearby, another location with deep pits was found, possibly indicating soil contamination. Pastures where animals graze are located around. 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 could be due to 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.
Currently, the exact quantity of hazardous waste placed in the burial grounds that require repackaging and storage has not been established. More than 10 cubic meters of hazardous waste remain at the former warehouses. The approximate amount of contaminated soil is more than 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 POPs into the environment throughout the disposal process.
To date, despite the abundance of previously implemented projects for the inventory of obsolete pesticides, contrary to national legislation:
• There are no laboratory databases on the composition of waste;
• Waste passports are absent;
• 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;
• Laboratories have insufficient capacity to conduct analyses on obsolete pesticides, including POPs;
• There is no information on the composition of obsolete pesticides in the supervisory authorities;
• Further research is needed on the owners of some warehouses/land where points with obsolete pesticides are located.
• Training of local self-government employees, supervisory and controlling authorities is necessary;
• It is necessary to tighten responsibility for improper handling of hazardous waste.
Conclusions
According to 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 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 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 supervisory 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 become 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 points of placement of obsolete pesticides.
Full report on the inventory of obsolete pesticides (OP) in Chui, Talas, Naryn, Issyk-Kul, Jalal-Abad, Osh, and Batken regions
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