DYNAMICS OF PESTICIDE USE BY DISTRICTS OF THE REPUBLIC OF KARAKALPAKSTAN

ABSTRACT

The paper investigates the dynamics of pesticide application in the districts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan from 1980 to 1995 and the consequences of pesticides on the environment and health. The results provide evidence of severe fluctuation in pesticide application: the highest in 1987 and lowest in 1995. Central districts like Amu Darya and Shumanai reveal the most intensive use of pesticides, while Bozatau and Muynak show minimal activity. The complex analysis identifies 69 types of pesticides amounting to more than 32,000 tons, mainly inorganic metal-containing compounds and defoliants for cotton production. While these substances have advantages in agriculture, they also have disadvantages: environmental pollution and health hazards, exacerbated by the Aral Sea crisis. The study stresses the great need for more effective ecological monitoring, preventive measures, and regulatory frameworks to sufficiently reduce the public health and ecological risks of pesticide use.

АННОТАЦИЯ

В статье исследуются динамика применения пестицидов в районах Республики Каракалпакстан в период 1980–1995 годов и их последствия для окружающей среды и здоровья человека. Результаты показывают значительные колебания в использовании пестицидов: наибольший объем отмечается в 1987 году, а минимальный — в 1995 году. Основные районы, такие как Амударья и Шуманай, демонстрируют наиболее интенсивное использование пестицидов, тогда как в районах Бозатау и Муйнак активность минимальна. Комплексный анализ выявил 69 типов пестицидов общим объемом более 32 000 тонн, преимущественно неорганических металло-содержащих соединений и дефолиантов, используемых в производстве хлопка. Несмотря на их преимущества в сельском хозяйстве, данные вещества имеют серьезные недостатки: загрязнение окружающей среды и угрозы для здоровья, усугубленные кризисом Аральского моря. Исследование подчеркивает острую необходимость в более эффективном экологическом мониторинге, профилактических мерах и нормативно-правовых рамках для существенного снижения рисков для здоровья населения и экологии, связанных с использованием пестицидов.

Keywords: Pesticides, Environmental pollution, Health risks, Karakalpakstan, Inorganic metal-containing compounds

Ключевые слова: пестициды, загрязнение окружающей среды, риски для здоровья, Каракалпакстан, неорганические металло-содержащие соединения

Introduction

Increasingly, the application of pesticides in agriculture has dramatically changed farming practices around the world. Pesticides are a necessary ingredient in increasing crop yields to ensure food security, while overuse is bringing about huge problems environmentally and in public health. Such is the complex interrelation between agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability that the Republic of Karakalpakstan represents, with its face changed by the ecological catastrophe befalling the Aral Sea. Over the years, the application of various pesticides has changed due to economic, regulative, and environmental factors with huge implications for the region's ecosystem and human health. This study examines pesticide use patterns in different districts of Karakalpakstan during the period 1980–1995 and identifies the types of pesticides used, their quantities, and toxicological profiles. It flags critical environmental and health-related concerns, especially on the residual contamination of food and soil, within a broader context of the Aral Sea crisis. The research underlines the vital need for effective ecological monitoring, enhanced regulatory frameworks, and sustainable agricultural practices in the face of the adverse effects linked to pesticide use in the region.

Research Methods

The study adopted an integrated approach to the dynamics of pesticide use in the Republic of Karakalpakstan for the period 1980-1995. The compilation of data on the types and quantities of pesticides used, based on historical records, agricultural reports, and environmental monitoring documents, provided a base for understanding trends over the 16-year period. The study looked at the use of pesticides geographically, which brought to light the disparity in their application among districts of different agricultural profiles. They compared the central districts - Amu Darya and Shumanai, in which pesticide application is heaviest - with peripheral regions of Muynak and Bozatau, where very few activities take place.

Pesticides were classified based on chemical composition, including inorganic metal-containing compounds, defoliants, and organophosphorus compounds; their toxicological properties, such as persistence and potential for bioaccumulation, were determined according to the existing classification systems. In cooperation with the Republican Sanitary and Epidemiological Service, pesticide residues were analyzed in samples of food and the environment; these included such toxic chemicals as DDT and other organochlorine compounds. The study analyzed the usage patterns over three different time frames—1980–1985, 1986–1991, and 1992–1995 to show changes in application rates and types of substances used.

The average pesticide load per hectare, as well as total pesticide volumes distributed by crop type, is given by using statistical methods; this shows the extent and intensity of pesticide application. The article also covered the environmental and health aspects of the use of pesticides, whereby soil, water, and agricultural product contamination was related to broader ecological crises - for instance, the Aral Sea disaster. In fact, this thorough approach has permitted an in-depth analysis of the trends and effects of the application of pesticides; it will, hence, present very important regulatory measures and sustainable agricultural practices.

Results

The use of pesticides in agriculture has a significant economic effect. Therefore, it is currently believed that without pesticides, it is impossible to obtain high and stable yields of agricultural crops. The long-term use of pesticides on a large scale in all countries of the world has revealed a number of negative consequences, such as pollution of the environment and food products and a negative impact on human health [1, 2, 8].

Most pesticides can remain in the environment for a long time, getting from one environmental object to another, in some cases turning into more toxic compounds, and can pose a real danger to people, flora and fauna, causing an imbalance in the biocenotic equilibrium [7, 9].

In 1993, the Fifth Environmental Action Program (5th EAP, also known as the Environmental Action Program) called on the European Union to significantly reduce pesticide use per unit of protected land area by 2000 [10].

Currently, the production and use of organochlorine compounds in agriculture is minimal. Pesticides and argochemicals are used against pests and diseases of crops, which certainly facilitates cultivation [11, 12]. Their use dramatically reduces crop losses, reduces costs in agriculture by 2-3 times, and allows saving agricultural products by 10-12 billion rubles annually. However, the risks and undesirable effects are always worth remembering. Only a few countries monitor the use of pesticides. All requirements are adopted in the Directive of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union [3]. Despite this political goal, modern European data on the use of pesticides show that there is rather a tendency to increase. In the former Union, 369 items from 39 groups of pesticides were used in agricultural practice [4]. Analysis of average annual data on pesticide loads shows that they are subject to significant territorial fluctuations (from less than 1 to more than 10 kg/ha for the active substance). The average load for the Union was considered to be 2-3 kg/ha; in some republics, this value is several times higher [1, 4, 13]. From 1980 to 1995, 55 to 69 types of pesticides with a total volume of 32 thousand tons were used in Karakalpakstan. 100% of the active substance (Table 1). Of the pesticides used, magnesium chlorate was used in the most significant quantity (14 thousand tons). It makes up the bulk, i.e. 43.9% of all pesticides used over 16 years. Magnesium chlorate is followed by propanid (14.6%) and butifos (9.98%).

Table 1.

Amount of pesticides used by year in the period from 1980 to 1995

The results of the analysis showed that the most intensive use of pesticides in the republic was observed in 1987. At that time, more than 3 thousand tons of 100% active substance were introduced into the environment of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, i.e. 9.87% of the pesticides used over 16 years. The lowest use was observed in 1995 - 0.3 thousand tons of 100% active substance, i.e. 1.1% of the pesticides used over this period. Thus, from 1995-2002 in Karakalpakstan, the average pesticide load was 4 kg / ha for 100% active substance. Pesticides in the range of 46 names with a total volume of 477 tons were used (Kurbanov et al., 2002). As the research results showed, the use of pesticides over 7 years was distributed according to the following classification: insecticides and acaricides - 64%, herbicides - 26%, fungicides - 7% (Fig. 1). As the research results showed, the use of pesticides in recent years was distributed according to the following classification: insecticides and acaricides - 64%, herbicides - 26%, fungicides - 7%. The analysis conducted jointly with the staff of the Republican Sanitary and Epidemiological Service of the Republic of Karakalpakstan showed that residual amounts of pesticides were found in food and agricultural products (meat, fish, dairy products, eggs, canned goods, vegetables, melons, cottonseed oil, grain). Residual amounts of DDT, TCHM, HCH, etc. were frequently encountered. Of the 93 analyses conducted in which pesticides were detected, 80 (87%) were above the MAC.

Figure 1. The use of pesticides with different toxic effects in the Aral Sea region

Note: 1 - SDYAV, 2 - moderately toxic, 3 - low toxic, 4 - highly toxic

Nukus district ranks first in using various pesticides over 16 years, using 53 types of pesticides during this period. Bozatau district used 18 types of pesticides. At the same time, Muynak district of the Republic of Karakalpakstan used only 5 types of pesticides. The analysis showed that from 1980 to 1985, the maximum amount of pesticides per hectare of arable land was applied in Shumanay (63.1 kg), Amudarya (47.8 kg), Kanlykul (45.1 kg), Kegeyli (44.6 kg), Kungrad (44.6 kg), Khodzheli (43.0 kg) and Karauzyak districts (41.7.). The minimum amount of used pesticides was observed in Bozatau (4.0 kg) and Muynak (0.3 kg) districts. From 1980 to 1985, the leading place in the use of pesticides was occupied by Kungrad (1432 tons) and Chimbay (1403 tons) districts.

In the period from 1986 to 1991, the amount of used pesticides increased by 304 tons compared to 1980-85. For each hectare of arable land during this period of time (1986-1991), pesticides were applied: in Shumanai district - 37.3 kg, Kegeyli - 36.3 kg, Turtkul 35.6 kg, Ellikkala - 33.5 kg, Amu Darya - 32.7 kg. The lowest use of pesticides in this period was observed in Bozatau (2.9 kg) and Muynak (0.8 kg) districts.

Compared to the first stage (1980-1985), in the second stage (1986-1991) in the farms of Turtkul (35.6 kg/ha), Ellikkala (33.5 kg/ha), Beruniy (29.5 kg/ha) and Nukus (32.9 kg/ha) districts the use of pesticides is more intensive. However, at the second stage, a decrease in the amount of pesticide used is observed in Shumanai (37.3 kg / ha), Khodjeyli (30.6 kg / ha), Kungrad (25.2 kg / ha), Kegeyli (36.3 kg / ha), Karauzyak (26.4 kg / ha) and Takhtakupyr (16.0 kg / ha) districts. During this period, the leading place in the use of pesticides is occupied by Amu Darya (1,477,474 kg), Kanlykul (1,441,641 kg), Beruni (1,234,262 kg) districts. From 1992 to 1995, a decrease in the use of pesticides is observed in all districts. Thus, the Amu Darya district in the period from 1980 to 1995 occupies a leading place among 15 districts in terms of the amount of pesticides used, introducing into the environment 3,275,011 kg. 100% of the active substance of pesticides, i.e. 105.7 kg, per hectare of arable land. It is followed by the Shumanai district, which used 2,642,743 kg. of pesticides 100% of the active substance, i.e. 105.8 kg. per hectare of arable land, and also the Kegeyli district, which introduced into the environment 90.7 kg. of pesticides per hectare of arable land. Over 16 years, pesticides from the class of inorganic metal-containing compounds (43.9%) were intensively used (Table 2). Halogenated anilides of carboxylic acids accounted for 15.2%, from the class of organophosphorus compounds - 14.5%, and pesticides from the group of organochlorine compounds - 4.9% of all pesticides used over 16 years.

Table 2.

Distribution of used pesticides by class (in tons) for 1980-1995

Thus, the environment of the republic is saturated with pesticides from inorganic metal-containing compounds, while the use of the pesticide magnesium chlorate increases from year to year.

In the main cotton-growing regions, the use of pesticides from inorganic metal-containing compounds predominates, and in rice-growing regions, pesticides from compounds of halogen-substituted carboxylic acid anilides. Pesticides from thiocarbamic acid are used only in rice-growing regions. The maximum use of pesticides from inorganic metal-containing compounds is observed in the Amu Darya region. Over 16 years, 2434 tons of 100% active substance have been introduced into the territory of this region. The region with the lowest use of pesticides is Muynaksky - 4.020 kg of 100% active substance. All pesticides used in the period from 1980 to 1995 in the Republic of Karakalpakstan were studied according to the hygienic classification according to the main criteria of harmfulness proposed by L. I. Medved in co-authorship (1968), N. N. Melnikov et al. (1977) [5, 6].

We identified all pesticides used in our republic taking into account the indicators of toxicity, volatility, cumulation and resistance in the external environment, according to their hygienic classification, assessed in points (Table 3). As can be seen from Table 3, the assessment of the specified properties of individual preparations was carried out according to a 4-point system, starting from the least pronounced properties (1 point) and ending with their maximum values ​​(4 points). High points have zoocoumarin, keltane, HCCH, polydophen, saturn, sevin, tetral, tagam and thiodan. The main criteria of harmfulness of the pesticides used in the territory of the republic are presented in Table 3. According to the data in Table 3, it is clear that all the pesticides used are divided into 12 classes by harmfulness. Each class is divided into several groups by the degree of hygienic harmfulness.

Table 3.

Indicators of pesticides used in the territory of the Republic of Karakalpakstan according to the main criteria of harmfulness of the hygienic classification

All used pesticides have pronounced toxic properties. Of these, 6.1% of pesticides are highly toxic substances (HTS), 40.9% of pesticides are low-toxic, the rest are highly toxic and moderately toxic preparations. Thus, environmental pollution with chemicals used in agriculture is an important problem due to the drying up of the Aral Sea, desertification of vast territories of the Aral Sea region, and the ecological crisis. The analysis revealed that 69 types of pesticides were used with a total volume of 32,157 tons of 100% of the active substance of the used preparations over 16 years (from 1980 to 1995). More than half of the pesticides used in the Republic of Karakalpakstan were used as defoliants. Of all the pesticides used, 44.0% are inorganic metal-containing compounds, 14.7% are organophosphorus compounds, and halogenated anilides of carboxylic acids - 14.7%. All the pesticides used have 100% toxic properties. Highly toxic substances (HTS) account for 6.1%, highly toxic - 16.7%, moderately toxic - 36.4%, and low-toxic substances account for 40.9%. In the republic, during the study period (16 years), an average of 82.9 kg of pesticides with 100% active substance were applied per hectare of arable land, of which almost half (53.9%) are defoliants used in cotton growing. To improve the situation, it is necessary to implement a set of measures for the early detection of patients through preventive examinations and sanitary and educational work. Of particular importance are complex studies such as medical-ecological, cytogenetic, geochemical, and ecological monitoring, which would allow us to decipher the mechanisms of mobilization of human functional reserves.

Discussion

These findings shed critical light on the dynamics of pesticide use in the Republic of Karakalpakstan from 1980 to 1995, bringing into the open an interrelationship between agricultural practices and environmental as well as health concerns. The fluctuation in pesticide application, with its peak in 1987 and a significant decline by 1995, reflects broader socio-economic and environmental influences on agricultural activities. So the central, intensively pesticide-spraying districts, like Amu Darya and Shumanai, express agrarian priorities and cotton growing; very little is present on the periphery, e.g., in Muynak - thus indicating geographical and economic disparities.

These findings have underlined the dominance of inorganic metal-containing compounds and defoliants that were in wide use for cotton cultivation. While these compounds made it possible to increase the productivity of agriculture, they also caused severe problems with the environment and health. Residual contamination of soil, water, and food products, combined with toxicological profiles of these substances, gives rise to the long-term danger of upsetting the ecological balance and human well-being in the region.

It is an important observation that, at the time under review, there seemed to be a lack of adequate regulatory frameworks and ecological monitoring. The risks associated with pesticides were well known, yet control measures and public health interventions were very limited. This gap highlights the need for integrated strategies that balance agricultural productivity with environmental sustainability.

Furthermore, such findings draw attention to the special vulnerability of the region based on the Aral Sea crisis that exacerbated environmental and health impacts associated with pesticide usage. The crisis has not only increased ecological sensitivity but also aggravated current socio-economic challenges faced by the local population, thus compelling sustainable agricultural practices and ecological preservation.

This discussion underscores the necessity of adopting comprehensive ecological monitoring and regulatory measures to mitigate the adverse effects of pesticide usage. Policymakers and stakeholders must prioritize sustainable agricultural practices and invest in research and development to reduce dependency on hazardous chemicals. Moreover, raising public awareness about the long-term consequences of pesticide use and promoting alternative pest control methods are essential steps toward achieving environmental and public health goals.

Conclusion

Study on the use of pesticides in the Republic of Karakalpakstan during the period 1980-1995 provides insight into the critical environmental and health consequences resulting from agricultural practices of the time. The results show a tremendous fluctuation of pesticide application, with a peak in 1987 and a sharp decline in 1995. Pesticide use was intensive in central districts like Amu Darya and Shumanai, while districts on the periphery of the province, like Muynak and Bozatau, showed virtually no activity. During 16 years, 69 kinds of pesticides were in heavy use; most were inorganic, metal-containing compounds and defoliants that were extensively used in the cotton-growing areas. The study epitomizes the dual effect of pesticides: on the one hand, they have considerably increased the productivity of agriculture, but on the other hand, they have contributed to environmental degradation and health risks, further aggravated by the ecological challenges posed by the Aral Sea crisis. Residue pesticide contamination in food and soil, added to toxicological properties of the substances, calls for an imperative need for effective ecological monitoring and regulatory mechanisms. Going forward, such practices should be followed for sustainable agriculture, in ways that reduce the reliance upon dangerous chemicals. Ecological and medical research needs to be urged by policymakers and stakeholders, while tightening up regulations on the use of pesticides and raising awareness on the long-term effects these substances have on human populations. Addressing these, the region could work to balance agricultural productivity with nature conservation.

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