2024-02-08 23:36:10
If the climb to Mount Everest is demanding for the most experienced climbers, the descent will now be even more challenging.
Those on expeditions to what is known as the “top of the world” will have to collect their feces and take it to the base camp to be processed, authorities in the Nepalese region told the BBC.
““Our mountains are starting to stink.”said Mingma Sherpa, president of Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, which controls the area that introduced the new rule as part of a broader package of measures.
“We received complaints that human feces are seen on the rocks and that some climbers get sick. This is not acceptable and erodes our image,” he added.
Climbers attempting to reach Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, and nearby Mount Lhotse will have to purchase so-called poop bags at base camp, which They will be “reviewed upon return.”
06/18/2023 Garbage collection at Mount Everest Base Camp SOCIETY ASIA NEPAL SAGARMATHA POLLUTION CONTROL COMMITTEE
During the climbing season, mountaineers spend most of their time at base camp acclimatizing to the altitude.
There separate tents are erected that serve as bathrooms and have barrels underneath that collect excrement.
But once they begin their treacherous journey, things get more difficult.
Most climbers and support staff They tend to dig a hole to defecate, But the higher they climb the mountain, the less snow some places have, so the expeditions are forced to do it outdoors.
Due to the extreme temperatures – the lowest ever recorded on Mount Everest was -42°C -, the excrement left on top is not completely degraded.
Although the climb can last weeks, very few people bring their excrement back in bags.
And although there have been an increasing number of cleanup campaigns, trash left behind is still a big problem on Everest and other mountains in the region.
“Waste remains a major problem, especially in the higher camps, which cannot be reached,” says Chhiring Sherpa, executive director of the non-governmental organization Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC).
Although there is no official figure, his organization estimates that there are about three tons of human excrement between camp one, at the base of Everest, and camp four, towards the summit.
“Half of it is believed to be on the South Col, also known as Camp Four,” Chhiring Sherpa said.
Stephan Keck, an international mountain guide who also organizes Everest expeditions, said that area It has earned the reputation of being an “open-air bath.”
At 7,906 meters high, the South Col serves as a base before climbers attempt to reach the summit of Everest and Lhotse. Here the terrain is very windswept.
“There is hardly any ice or snow, so you see human feces everywhere”Keck stated.
The ropes and ladders left by climbers are collected and returned, but human excrement remains in the mountains. Babu Sherpa
Authorized by the Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, the SPCC is acquiring around eight thousand bags of excrement from the United States, for an estimated 400 foreign climbers and some 800 workers who will serve as support staff for the next season that begins in March.
These bags They contain chemicals and powders that solidify human excrement and make it largely odorless.
It is believed that a climber produces an average of 250 grams of excrement per day. They usually spend about two weeks in the highest camps trying to reach the summit.
“From this we want to provide you with two bags, each of which can use five to six times”, explained Chhiring Sherpa.
“It is certainly a positive thing and we will be happy to do our part to make this a success,” says Dambar Parajuli, president of the Nepal Expedition Operators Association.
Cleanup campaigns usually collect garbage but mainly from lower camps. Photo: Babu SherpaBBC
Nepal’s central government has announced several rules for mountaineering in the past, but there has been criticism that many of them have not been properly implemented.
One of the main reasons is the absence of liaison officers in the field. There are supposed to be government officials with expedition teams at the base camps, but many of them have been criticized for not showing up. “The State has always been missing in the base camps, which has caused all kinds of irregularities, including people climbing mountains without permission,” he stated. Mingma Sherpachairman of the rural municipality of Pasang Lhamu.
He said his organization had suggested that this should be implemented first as a pilot project on Everest and then also replicated on other mountains.
Mingma Sherpa, the first Nepalese to climb all 14 mountains above 8,000 metres, said the use of such bags to manage human waste has been tested on other mountains.
“Mountaineers have been using these types of bags in the Mount Denali (the highest peak in North America) and also in Antarcticawhich is why we have been advocating its use,” says Sherpa, who is also an advisor to the Nepal Mountaineering Association.
International mountain guide Keck echoed the same message saying that the idea will help clean the mountain.
Nepal’s central government has announced several rules for mountaineering in the past, but there has been criticism that many of them have not been properly implemented.
One of the main reasons is the absence of liaison officers in the field. There are supposed to be government officials with expedition teams at the base camps, but many of them have been criticized for not showing up.
“The State has always been missing in the base camps, which has led to all kinds of irregularities, including people climbing mountains without permission,” said Sherpa, president of Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality.
“All this will change now. We will run a contact office and ensure that our new measures are implemented, including forcing climbers to bring their excrement”.
Conocé The Trust Project
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