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picture explanation,
At Everest’s high-altitude camp, many hikers use open spaces to empty their bowels.
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- Reporter Naveen Singh Khadka
- Journalist, BBC World Service, environmental reporter
-
February 12, 2024
“Our mountains are starting to stink.”
Mingma Sherpa, chairman of Nepal’s Pasanghamu Autonomous Region, told the BBC: “We are hearing complaints that human waste is visible on the rocks on the mountain and that some hikers are getting sick. This cannot be tolerated anymore.”
Climbers of Mount Lotse, the world’s highest mountain adjacent to Everest, are now required to clean up and dispose of their own waste when returning to base camp.
How do I go to the bathroom while climbing a mountain?
Hikers spend most of their time at the base camp to acclimate to the high altitude. A separate tent is erected as a toilet, and feces collect underneath it.
However, once you embark on a dangerous journey, the situation becomes more difficult. Most hikers and support staff dig holes to relieve themselves, but the higher you climb the mountain, the more difficult it becomes in some areas. In fact, hikers’ excrement is left all over the mountain.
Due to the extreme temperatures, the excrement left on the summit of Everest does not completely decompose. Almost no one brings back their own excrement while hiking.
Garbage remains a huge problem on Everest and other mountains in the region. Cleaning and decluttering campaigns, such as the Nepal-led annual cleaning campaign, are increasing, but they are not enough.
image copyrightBabu Sherpa
picture explanation,
Although clean-up campaigns have removed some of the trash left behind, most of it is done primarily in low-altitude camp areas.
‘Open toilet’
“Waste remains a major problem, especially in hard-to-reach high-altitude camps,” says Chiring Sherpa, CEO of the non-governmental organization Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC).
Although no official figures exist, the SPCC estimates that there are about 3 tons of human waste between Camp 1 at the base of Everest and Camp 4 on the way to the summit.
“Half of them are believed to be at South Col, also known as Camp 4,” Chiring Sherpa said.
Stephen Keck, an international mountain guide who also organizes expeditions to Everest, said South Col had a reputation for its “open toilets”.
Located at 7906 meters, South Col serves as a base for climbers before attempting the summits of Everest and Lhotse. The terrain here is prone to being swept away by the wind.
“Because there’s very little ice and snow, you’re going to see people pooping around,” Keck said.
image copyrightGetty Images
picture explanation,
Increase in number of climbers on Everest means increase in waste, including human waste
SPCC, approved by the Pasang Lamu Autonomous Region, is currently preparing approximately 8,000 poop bags for the March 2024 climb, which will target approximately 400 foreign hikers and 800 support staff from the United States.
These bags contain chemicals and powders that solidify human waste and eliminate most odors.
On average, hikers produce 250 grams of feces per day. They will spend about two weeks at the high altitude camp, primarily for summit attempts.
“Based on this, we plan to give them two bags, each of which can be used five to six times,” said Chiring Sherpa.
“This is definitely a positive thing and we will contribute to making it a success,” said Damba Parajuli, president of the Nepal Expeditionary Association.
He explained that he proposed to first conduct a test project on Everest and then apply it to other mountains in the future.
Mingma Sherpa, the first Nepalese person to climb all 14 mountains over 8,000 meters, emphasized that using these bags to dispose of human waste has already been tested and proven on other mountains.
“Climbers have been using such bags on Mount Denari, the highest peak in North America, and they are also using them in Antarctica, so we have continued to emphasize this.” Mingma Sherpa is an advisory member of the Nepal Mountaineering Association.
Keck, an international mountain guide, shared the same message and predicted that this idea would help clean up the mountains.
image copyrightBabu Sherpa
picture explanation,
The ropes and ladders left behind by climbers are collected, but human waste still remains on the mountain.
Nepal’s central government has issued several mountaineering rules in the past, but has been criticized for not properly enforcing them.
One of the main reasons is their absence from the scene. Nepalese government officials were supposed to be with the visiting team at the base camp, but they did not do so.
Mr Sherpa, chairman of Pasang Lamu Autonomous Region, added: “Everything will change now. We will run a liaison office and ensure that new measures are implemented, including for hikers to bring their excrement.”
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2024-02-13 03:32:14
