HT Digital,
New Delhi, Feb 10: Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, has been facing a significant environmental challenge due to the accumulation of human waste left by climbers. This issue has escalated to such an extent that it now poses serious risks to both the climbers and the mountain’s fragile ecosystem.
In response to this growing concern, new regulations have been implemented by Pasang Lhamu rural municipality, requiring climbers to carry specially designed poo-bags to collect and transport their waste back to base camp.
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The decision, announced by Mingma Sherpa, chairman of Pasang Lhamu, aims to mitigate the pollution and health hazards associated with human excrement on Everest.
These poo-bags are equipped with chemicals that solidify and deodorize the waste, making them reusable up to five or six times, thus reducing the burden on climbers during their ascent. This initiative is in line with practices on other challenging terrains, such as Mount Denali and the Antarctic, where similar waste management efforts have been successful.
For years, climbers have resorted to digging holes or simply relieving themselves in the open, but the extreme cold temperatures have prevented the natural degradation of excrement, leading to its visible accumulation on the rocks.
The situation has worsened with increased traffic from commercial guided trips over the past two decades, resulting in decades worth of human waste sitting on the mountain.
Nepal has taken steps to address the broader environmental crisis on Everest, including a $4,000 rubbish deposit per team, refundable upon the removal of at least eight kilograms (18 pounds) of waste per climber. Despite these measures, compliance has been limited, and the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) reported that in 2017 alone, climbers in Nepal brought down nearly 25 tonnes of trash and 15 tonnes of human waste.
The implementation of mandatory waste removal represents a critical step towards preserving the beauty and ecological integrity of Mount Everest. Climbers are now expected to be more environmentally conscious and take responsibility for their impact on the mountain by adhering to the new waste disposal regulations.
