Jalal-Abad Region. Aksy District. Village of Zhil-Kol. Pesticide Burial Site

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Coordinates: 41.208575, 72.064965



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 pesticides is unknown. During the inventory, a large number of contaminated areas of former warehouses with unidentified pesticides were discovered, along 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. 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 burial site Suzaka 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 (GKEK), approximately 1300 tons of various pesticides were buried in total. Currently, the condition of the burial site is satisfactory (it is 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 pesticides from the warehouse (the former pesticide warehouse is destroyed) of the Production Association "Agricultural Chemistry" in the Ala-Buka district were buried 200 meters south of the warehouse. This area has been leveled with imported soil, and a large area has been prepared for construction. Soil monitoring for pesticides is necessary.

The burial site in Zhil-Kol indicates that there has been extraction of pesticides, and most of them may already be irretrievably lost. The surface of the site shows signs of old excavations. Another site with deep pits has been found nearby, possibly indicating soil contamination. Surrounding it are pastures where animals graze. The burial site is located 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 no smell, no pesticides, nor 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 plots do not know the locations of the old volumes of pesticides.

At present, the exact quantity of pesticides stored in the burial sites that require repackaging and storage has not been established. More than 10 cubic meters of pesticides 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 Suzaka-A and Suzaka-B burial sites. 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 data bases on the composition of waste;
• there are no Waste Passports;
• 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 lack sufficient capacity to conduct analyses on obsolete pesticides, including POPs;
• there is no information on the composition of obsolete pesticides in the regulatory bodies;
• additional research is required on the owners of some warehouses/land where points with obsolete pesticides are located.
• training for local government workers, regulatory and supervisory authorities is necessary;
• responsibility for improper handling of hazardous waste needs to be tightened.

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 destruction 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 facility that meets national legislative 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 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.
Past 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 locations of obsolete pesticides.

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