Situation in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan faces numerous challenges from pesticides poorly managed in the past. There are large stockpiles of obsolete and expired pesticides, many of them with unknown chemical composition. Substantial volumes of soil contaminated by POPs and obsolete pesticides will need treatment to reduce direct and indirect public health risks. Empty pesticides container pose an important threat to health and the environment, as in the absence of a collection system people often use them for household purposes to store foodstuffs and water. Directions for dealing with these various waste challenges are provided by the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions, which have all been ratified by Kazakhstan.

Currently, Kazakhstan has over 21 mln ha of arable land, and until 1990 pesticides were applied on almost the entire area. While POPs pesticides have never been produced in Kazakhstan, significant quantities of POPs previously imported and used in the former Soviet Union remain accumulated in the territory of Kazakhstan. Currently, there are identified 727 pesticide stores in the country.

Knowledge on types and volumes of obsolete pesticides is widely lacking. An inventory of POPs-pesticides in 2003 has found volumes in various stores including a total of 15 metric tonnes (MT) of toxaphene; 24 MT of lindane, and 0.5 MT of DDT. According to different official sources, the estimated volume of banned and obsolete pesticides, and the number of empty pesticide containers are around 1 618 – 6 126 MT and 169 000 – 546 544 pieces, respectively.

Fourteen sites polluted with persistent organic pollutants have been identified during preliminary inventories (in 2001 and 2009). The total amount of POPs-containing waste, including contaminated soil, in 2006 was estimated at approximately 250 000 MT.

Currently, there are five operating landfills in Kazakhstan storing 2 101 MT of obsolete pesticides as well as empty containers for future destruction in an environmentally friendly manner.

However, all these data require a more detailed and comprehensive assessment of the real amounts present. Following a national inventory, management and disposal options can be developed. National legislation regarding POPs management is available, however, modifications and additions concerning new POPs and inventories are required.

Ongoing activities in Kazakhstan

Component 1

• National inventory of obsolete pesticides and contaminated sites
• Assessment of cement kiln facilities as a disposal option
• Establishment of the CMS
• Conduct bio/phytoremediation trials for contaminated sites
• Development of baseline survey on laboratory capacity for pesticides analysis with draft of the Road Map for lab infrastructure development

Component 2

• Finalisation of legal baseline assessment
• Implement field survey on the PPE and spray operations

Component 3

• Implement IPM trials
• Providing support to development of national IPM action plan

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