Jalal-Abad Region, Aksy District. Village of ZhivProm. Destroyed Warehouse of Obsolete Pesticides
The site is located on top of a hill, 300 meters from the border with Uzbekistan. Initially, there were two warehouse buildings on the site, but now only cobblestones can be found. There is a small amount of pesticide residues under the cobblestones, and together the two warehouses amount to approximately 3 m3. There is a concrete pool with only one hole at the top; there may also be some amount of pesticides. The warehouse is completely destroyed, and there are hazardous wastes in damaged packaging mixed with construction debris, totaling about 0.5 cubic meters. There are unidentified bags in concrete pits, and a sharp odor is present.
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 movement/location of previously stored hazardous wastes is unknown. During the inventory, a large number of contaminated areas of former warehouses with unidentified hazardous wastes and contaminated packaging, with pesticides leaking into the soil and groundwater, were discovered. More than 11 sites were identified from past 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 Suzaka-A burial was conducted in the Ak-Chabyr area of the Suzaka district of the Jalal-Abad region, where approximately 2000 - 3000 tons of outdated pesticides were buried.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 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 site 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 wastes were buried in total. Currently, the condition of the burial site is satisfactory (fenced, with video cameras near the guardhouse, powered by solar panels). No signs of fresh excavations were found.
The burials in Ala-Buka did not undergo proper registration. All hazardous wastes 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. 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 wastes, most of which may already be irretrievably lost. The surface of the site shows evidence of old excavations. Nearby, another location with deep pits was discovered, possibly indicating soil contamination. Surrounding pastures are present 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; livestock was treated with pesticides (presumably DDT).
During the survey, 6 privately owned sites with partially or completely destroyed warehouses were identified. There is no odor, hazardous wastes, 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 wastes.
At present, the exact amount of hazardous wastes placed in the burial sites requiring repackaging and storage has not been established. More than 10 cubic meters of hazardous wastes 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 at the Suzaka-A and Suzaka-B burial sites. 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 POPs into the environment throughout the disposal process.
To date, despite the abundance of previously implemented projects for the inventory of outdated pesticides, contrary to national legislation:
• There are no databases of laboratory data on the composition of waste;
• Waste passports are absent;
• Regular monitoring of the condition of outdated pesticide wastes 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 outdated pesticides, including POPs;
• There is no information on the composition of outdated pesticides in the regulatory bodies;
• Further research is required on the owners of some warehouses/land where points with outdated pesticides are located.
• Training for local government officials, regulatory and supervisory bodies 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 outdated pesticides, the exact composition of the waste is necessary. To achieve this, it is essential to address the equipping of laboratories, training of personnel, and obtaining accreditation in accordance with GOST ISO/IEC 17025-2019.
Additionally, it is necessary to continuously monitor the condition of points contaminated 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 present waste passports and obtain permits for the storage of hazardous waste.
The process of storing and disposing of hazardous waste must be conducted under the supervision of environmental regulatory bodies.
To this end, it is necessary to initiate the process of maximizing the legalization of the data obtained from the inventory.
Past inventories have not become the basis for creating a monitoring system for the management of outdated pesticides. As a result, a large volume of uncontrolled hazardous waste has become a threat to the environment, the lives, and health of the population living near the points of placement of outdated pesticides.
Full report on the inventory of outdated pesticides (OP) in Chui, Talas, Naryn, Issyk-Kul, Jalal-Abad, Osh, and Batken regions
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