Into the trash it goes money12/18/2023 They also started a deposit initiative, which has been running since 2014. In 2019, the Nepali government launched a campaign to clear 10,000 kilograms (22,000 pounds) of trash from the mountain. Water contaminated with fecal matter is known to cause the spread of deadly waterborne diseases such as cholera and hepatitis A.īoth governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have attempted-and are attempting-to clean up the mess on Mount Everest. The local watershed has become contaminated, which could be incredibly dangerous to the health of the local people. There are no waste management or sanitation facilities in the area, so garbage and sewage are emptied into big pits just outside of local villages, where they wash into waterways during the monsoon season. The watershed includes the land that directs rainfall and snowmelt from the mountains into streams and rivers. The Sagarmatha National Park watershed is an important water source for thousands of people living in communities surrounding Mount Everest. All that waste is trashing the natural environment, and it poses a serious health risk to everyone who lives in the Everest watershed. Climate change is causing snow and ice to melt, exposing even more garbage that has been covered for decades. Litter is spilling out of glaciers, and camps are overflowing with piles of human waste. No one knows exactly how much waste is on the mountain, but it is in the tons. For the rest of their expedition, climbers have to relieve themselves on the mountain. But that is where the toilet facilities end. At Base Camp, there are tented toilets with large collection barrels that can be carried away and emptied. The slopes are littered with discarded empty oxygen canisters, abandoned tents, food containers, and even human feces. During that time, each person generates, on average, around eight kilograms (18 pounds) of trash, and the majority of this waste gets left on the mountain. When climbers finally reach the summit, there is barely room to stand because of overcrowding.Įach of those climbers spends weeks on the mountain, adjusting to the altitude at a series of camps before advancing to the summit. They walk single file at a snail’s pace over the Hillary Step, the last obstacle before the summit. The mountain has become so overcrowded that oftentimes climbers have to stand in line for hours in freezing cold conditions to reach the top, where the air is so thin an oxygen mask is needed to breathe. In addition, for every climber there is at least one local worker who cooks, carries equipment, and guides the expedition. Over 600 people attempt to summit Mount Everest every climbing season during the few weeks of the year when weather conditions are just right. But the biggest problem is on the mountain itself. During peak season, the park receives as many as 500 people per day making the hike to Base Camp, and the intense volume of visitors is eroding footpaths. Deforestation plagues the local area, as people fell trees to make lodges and firewood for tourists. The park receives around 100,000 visitors each year, and all those people place a strain on the natural environment. Sagarmatha National Park was created in 1976 to protect the mountain and its wildlife, and it became a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site in 1979. Today, Everest is so overcrowded and full of trash that it has been called the “world’s highest garbage dump.” Since then, thousands of visitors have flocked to the mountain, and it is starting to take its toll. It was a death-defying feat of endurance that captured the world’s imagination. Everest is part of the Himalaya, which spans 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles) and runs through six countries in Asia.Įdmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first people known to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953. In Nepal, Mount Everest is known as “Sagarmatha,” meaning “forehead in the sky.” Standing at 8,849 meters (29,032 feet), it is the highest mountain above sea level in the world.
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