TURKMENISTAN: CHEMICALS AND ENVIRONMENTAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001186 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EEB ANKARA FOR AGRICULTURE COUNSELOR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR ETRD SENV TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: CHEMICALS AND ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE ¶1. (U) Sensitive but Unclassified. Not for Internet Distribution. ¶2. (U) SUMMARY: Although information about environmental hazards is difficult to obtain in Turkmenistan, occasional reports indicate the existence, if not the scope, of such problems. In two separate cases, the uncontrolled release of poisonous chemicals into the environment caused the death of livestock. While procedures exist to minimize the risk of such damage, in practice a lack of expertise and resources undermines effective implementation. In order to avoid penalties, local officials did not report the incidents and the owners of the livestock were not compensated. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (U) On August 24, a resident of Serdar Etrap in Balkan Province told a Pol/Econ local staff member that forty sheep were poisoned and killed by a chemical that was present in the water. Apparently, a defoliant that was used by a state farm contaminated the water in the irrigation canal, which the villagers used as a watering place for their livestock. The contact said the incident went unnoticed by local officials and the owners of poisoned sheep were not compensated. ¶4. (SBU) The head of the National Plant Research Station told Pol/Econ local staff member that any agricultural chemical, before it is passed to farmers, undergoes an approval process. The station's specialists develop recommendations on the method of its application and dosage. It is the responsibility of the State Concern on Fertilizers and Chemicals "Turkmendokunhimiya" to apply pesticides, herbicides and defoliants on wheat and cotton fields. However, lack of skilled specialists in this area does not allow state farms to carry out these measures in compliance with the recommendations of the National Plant Research Station. The contact said that it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Nature Protection to monitor and assess the environmental impact of the release of chemicals into the environment. In practice, because local officials want to avoid penalties, they hide, rather than report, the incidents of uncontrolled release of chemicals into the environment. ¶5. (SBU) In 2006, several cows in Yashlyk village of Ahal Province were poisoned and killed by chemicals dumped from a nearby cellulose production plant. A local veterinary specialist, who investigated the incident, said that the plant's waste water, dumped into the valley where the livestock was grazing, caused the death of the animals. Local officials threatened the owners of the cows with a penalty for grazing their cattle on state-owned land in order to pressure them not to raise the issue of compensation. The Ministry of Nature Protection turned a blind eye on the incident. However, shortly after the incident, the government suspended the plant's operation due to technological shortcomings. ¶6. (SBU) COMMENT: These two incidents are likely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to environmental damage caused by inappropriate handling of chemicals in Turkmenistan. For example, defoliants have widespread use in preparing cotton fields for ASHGABAT 00001186 002 OF 002 mechanical harvesting. Enforcement of the environmental protection law is problematic due to inaction and fear of government officials to face possible penalties. Apparently, the unwritten law of the Niyazov era, that forbids government officials from disclosing negative aspects of Turkmen society "for the sake of the nation's stability and prosperity," is still in force. END COMMENT. CURRAN