Jalal-Abad Region, Bazar-Korgon District, Mogol-Korgon Village Destroyed Warehouse of Obsolete Pesticides
Unknown warehouse 3 south of the road near the airfield. It was used for fertilizers; it has no pesticide smell; during the inventory, residents stored rice straw in it. Warehouse 3: 30x12 m; The warehouse is completely destroyed, there is no smell, no hazardous substances, no traces on the soil.
The greatest anthropogenic impact in the southern regions of the Kyrgyz Republic was experienced by the Jalal-Abad region. Most warehouses are destroyed, and the territorial relocation/storage of previously stored hazardous substances is unknown. During the inventory, a large number of contaminated areas of former warehouses with unidentified hazardous substances were found, with contaminated packaging leaking pesticides into the soil and groundwater. In the Jalal-Abad region, more than 11 sites were identified from previous inventories, 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 are the burial grounds Suzakh-A, Suzakh-B, and the burials in Ala-Buka and Zhil-Kol. In 1973, the burial of Suzakh A was conducted in the Ak-Chabyr area of the Suzakh district of the Jalal-Abad region, where approximately 2000 - 3000 tons of obsolete pesticides were buried in total. The burial ground is fenced with barbed wire, but access is free. This work was carried out under a small grants program. There is security, but the security hut is destroyed. Signs of recent excavations were found.
In the 1970s-1980s, burials were conducted at the burial ground Suzakh B in the Tash-Baka Kungoy area, near the village of Kyzyl-Bayram, Jalal-Abad region. According to the State Committee for Ecology and Climate (GKEC), approximately 1300 tons of various hazardous substances were buried in total. Currently, the condition of the burial ground is satisfactory (it is fenced, there are video cameras near the security hut, 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 substances 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. The area has been leveled with imported soil, and a large area has been prepared for construction. Soil monitoring for pesticides is necessary.
The burial area of Zhil-Kol indicates that there was extraction of hazardous substances, most of which may have already been irretrievably lost. The surface of the site shows signs of old excavations. Nearby, another site 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 plots in private ownership with partially or completely destroyed warehouses were identified. There is neither smell, nor hazardous substances, nor traces on the soil in the area. The absence of traces on the soil could have been obscured by the application of clean soil, and soil contamination cannot be ruled out. The owners of the plots do not know the locations of the old volumes of hazardous substances.
At present, the exact quantity of hazardous substances placed in the burial grounds requiring repackaging and storage has not been established. More than 10 cubic meters of hazardous substances remain at the former warehouses. The approximate 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 burial grounds Suzakh-A, Suzakh-B. These works need to 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 for the inventory of obsolete pesticides, contrary to national legislation:
• there are no laboratory data bases on the composition of the 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;
• the potential of laboratories for conducting analyses on obsolete pesticides, including persistent organic pollutants, is insufficient;
• information on the composition of obsolete pesticides is lacking in the supervisory authorities;
• additional research is required on the owners of some warehouses/land where points with obsolete pesticides are located.
• training of local government employees, supervisory and controlling authorities is necessary;
• responsibility for improper handling of hazardous waste needs to be tightened.
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 obsolete pesticides, the exact composition of the waste is necessary. To achieve this, it is essential to resolve 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 contamination points with obsolete pesticides and to repack and place the 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 regulatory 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 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 in Chui, Talas, Naryn, Issyk-Kul, Jalal-Abad, Osh, and Batken regions
Attention: Information based on submitted complaints