Jalal-Abad Region, Tash-Baka Kungay area, near the village of Kyzyl-Bayram. Burial site of outdated pesticides "Suzak-B"

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Coordinates: 41.022302, 72.933338



The greatest anthropogenic impact in the southern regions of the Kyrgyz Republic has affected the Jalal-Abad region. Most of the storage facilities have been destroyed, and the territorial movement/location of previously stored hazardous waste is unknown. During the inventory, a large number of contaminated areas of former storage facilities with unidentified hazardous waste and contaminated packaging with pesticide leaching into the soil and groundwater were discovered. More than 11 sites were 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 Suzak-A, Suzak-B burial grounds, and burials in Ala-Buka and Zhil-Kol. In 1973, a burial was conducted at Suzak A in the Ak-Chabyr area of the Suzak district of the Jalal-Abad region, where approximately 2,000 - 3,000 tons of outdated pesticides were buried.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 security hut is destroyed. Signs of recent excavations were found.

In the 1970s and 1980s, burials were conducted at the Suzak B burial site in the Tash-Baka Kungay area, near the village of Kyzyl-Bayram, in the Jalal-Abad region. According to the State Committee for Ecology and Climate (SCEC), approximately 1,300 tons of various hazardous waste were buried in total. Currently, the condition of the burial site is satisfactory (it is fenced, and there are video cameras near the security hut, with autonomous power supply using solar panels). No signs of recent excavations were found.

The burials in Ala-Buka did not undergo proper registration. All hazardous waste from the (now destroyed) pesticide storage of the Agricultural Chemistry Production Association in the Ala-Buka district was buried 200 meters south of the storage. 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 extraction of hazardous waste has taken place, 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 grazed by animals. The burial site is located in a small valley. All pesticides from the Uch-Korgon storages 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 storage facilities 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 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.

At present, the exact quantity of hazardous waste placed in the burial sites requiring repackaging and storage has not been established. More than 10 cubic meters of hazardous waste remain at the former storage sites. 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 DDT-Containing Waste in Central Asian Countries (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan)" plans to dispose of waste at the Suzak-A and Suzak-B burial sites. These activities 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 outdated pesticides, contrary to national legislation:
• there are no laboratory data bases on the composition of waste;
• waste passports are absent;
• 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 POPs;
• information on the composition of outdated pesticides is absent in the supervisory authorities;
• further research is required on the owners of some storages/land where points with outdated pesticides are located.
• training of local government officials, supervisory and controlling authorities 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.

In addition, it is necessary to continuously monitor the condition of pollution 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 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 have not become the basis 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 points of placement of outdated pesticides.

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