Tajikistan (Sherobod): Obsolete Pesticide Cleanup
Tajik Environmental Protection Committee, local administration.
Sherobod is located in the Khatlon Region, the most densely populated part of the Republic of Tajikistan.
The cleanup of contaminated areas in Sherobod (along with sites in Beshkent, and Sangoba) was completed under the supervision of the Committee of Environmental Protection of Tajikistan in January and February 2020.
The remediation team removed 9.5 metric tons of pesticides and 255 metric tons of contaminated soil in Sherobod. The pesticides were repackaged and transported to a specially designated hazardous waste facility in Vaksh, Tajikistan.
At the end of the 1980s, more than 20 tons of toxic chemicals (bags and metal containers) of the former Ilyich state farm were buried about 100 meters away from the end of the village. As reported by local residents, the pesticides were buried at the depth of up to 4 meters, the total area of the contaminated zone is 16 sq. meters.
Until 1995, the residents of Sherobod village did not know about the pesticides buried in the area. The pesticides were discovered accidentally when a road was built through an area near the village of Galaba. Since that time, some local residents have engaged in digging up pesticides and using them. Some residents have also sold pesticides to farmers. The soil at the burial site is visually contaminated and there is a strong chemical smell. The site is also easily accessible to human and animals. The burial and the adjacent area are currently used as a pasture for livestock. About 50 children go to school on the road which runs along the burial.
