Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, in collaboration with the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, supported by the European Union, is implementing the project "Technical Assistance for the Rational Management of Hazardous Chemicals."

As part of this project, FAO specialists and the Center for Specialized Analytical Environmental Control of the Ministry of Ecology visited Khorezm region.

The aim of the visit was to survey former agricultural airfields, which were previously used for pesticide applications, to create a national registry of obsolete pesticides and contaminated areas. The project places significant emphasis on the introduction of technologies for extracting these harmful substances from water and soil and their processing.

Khorezm region, in the past, used large quantities of pesticides in agriculture, leading to the accumulation of significant stocks of obsolete and banned substances. These pesticides pose a serious threat to human health and the environment, making their inventory and safe disposal necessary. Including this data in the national registry will allow for more effective risk management and the development of measures to address contamination.

"Inventorying these sites will help determine the number of contaminated areas, assess risks, and establish priorities for further work. The collected data will be used to develop a national plan for managing hazardous agricultural waste and create a map of contaminated areas across the country," said Elmurod Nazarov, the national project coordinator.

This project is part of a long-term strategy by the FAO and the Ministry of Ecology aimed at improving the environmental situation in Uzbekistan and ensuring sustainable management of hazardous chemicals.

The implementation of this project is a crucial step towards improving environmental safety in Uzbekistan. The creation of a national registry of obsolete pesticides will not only help reduce risks associated with environmental contamination but also serve as a foundation for more effective hazardous waste management in the future. FAO and the Ministry of Ecology will continue their joint efforts to protect human health and preserve the country’s natural resources.