About €1 million is needed to isolate the waste holes at the pesticides store in Cismichioi village of Vulcanesti district. The isolation of holes and covering of the contaminated soil nearby will limit the use of the land and will make the use of the area in the future impossible. The solution was proposed by a group of Czech experts who carried out a feasibility study on the safe management of the store, IPN reports.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment said the store was built in 1975-1987 and contains four tonnes of pesticides and other hazardous chemicals. These are stored in 14 concrete holes or were simply buried and isolated with impermeable polyethylene.

The content of waste, security degree or pollution potential of the store are not known. As a result of field investigations, it was established that the contamination in the perimeter of the store is concentrated inside the 14 bunkers where old pesticides are kept. The level of contamination at the surface is reduced. It was determined that the contaminant is not dispersed in the environment. There were detected no pesticide residues in the soil outside the store and in underground water. But the quantity of waste is worrisome. Estimates show the pesticides and the contaminated soil occupy an area of over 37,000 cubic meters.

The feasibility study was financed by the Czech Development Agency.