- Naveen Singh Gadka
- BBC World Service
Image source, Getty Images
The base camp is an early trekking destination for those who climb Mount Everest to relax
Nepal is preparing to relocate its base camp on Mount Everest. This decision is made because the place is becoming unsafe due to global warming and human activities.
The base camp, which is used by up to 1,500 people to climb Mount Everest in the spring, is located near the rapidly melting iceberg.
Officials told the BBC that the ‘base camp’ would be set up at a new alternative location at a lower elevation than sea level.
If researchers say melting ice water is undermining the stability of the glacier, trekkers say cracks occur while sleeping in camps.
Speaking to the BBC, Taranath Adhikari, Nepal’s director of tourism, told the BBC, “We are preparing for an alternative location. Consultations are underway with all stakeholders in this regard.”
Image source, PRAKASH MATHEMA
Everest Basement Camp
“It’s a matter of adapting ourselves to change. It’s essential to the sustainability of the mountaineering business.”
The camp is currently at an altitude of 5,364 meters. The new camp will be less than 200m to 400m away, the official said.
He said the projects were implemented following the recommendations of a committee set up by the Nepalese government to facilitate and monitor mountaineering in the Everest region.
Researchers say that Kumpu Glacier, one of the numerous glaciers in the Himalayas, is melting rapidly due to global warming.
A 2018 study by researchers at the University of Leeds found that the glacier near the base camp was melting at a rate of 1 m per year.
Much of the glacier is covered with rock debris. But in the meanwhile there are visible icebergs outside. Scott Watson, one of the researchers, told the BBC that the melting of these glaciers was destabilizing the glacier.
As the glaciers melt, aquifers are formed by the rolling of small boulders at the top.
Image source, WORLD VLOG CHALLENGE
Incidence of such rock falls rising on the surface of glaciers and increasing melting water levels are viewed as unfortunate.
In addition, the glaciers lose about 9.5 million cubic meters of water a year, according to researcher Watson.
Sleep cracks:
Nepalese officials and mountaineers say a waterway between the base camps is slowly expanding. Similarly, surface cracks are also reported to be more prevalent now than ever before.
In that line, “Shockingly, we see cracks in the ground when we are asleep,” said Colonel Kishore, a Nepali army officer who stayed in the base camp.
He was staying in the basement camp when he headed the clean-up campaign, which runs from March to May in the spring.
“The cracks in the ground were getting bigger fast. We could have fallen inside. Many of us had this freezing experience the next morning,” said Shering Nsing Sherpa, base camp manager of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Board.
Image source, Getty Images
Everest
Even loud noises are often heard as the glaciers move and fall. It takes two to three weeks for a flat surface to form. But, it currently happens every week.
And the fact that so many people are here also adds to the problem. In particular, about 4,000 liters of urine are excreted daily from the base camp.
In addition, the heat generated by fuels, including kerosene and gasoline, used in cooking also contributes to the melting of glaciers.
In this case, too, the existing base camp could be used for the next 3 to 4 years, Sherpa said.
But Nepalese officials say the relocation should take place by 2024.
We did ecological and technical research in the base camp. However, the director of the Nepal Tourism Department said that before relocating, one should consider the culture and consult with the local people here.
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