everest facing mountain of rubbish as climbers leave waste behind
Activists say the popularity of Mount Everest this season has given the Nepalese government a lot of garbage to clean up, including human waste.
This year, a record number of climbers have climbed the mountain, but this has brought a huge task to the Sherpas who are engaged in government cleaning. up drive.
The wind also scattered tents and garbage in the South Col, the 8,000-meter camp 42, the highest camp on the mountain.
The climbers left empty oxygen cylinders, food packaging and used ropes.
Activists who Cleared Camp 2 believe that nearly 8,000 kg of human waste has been left behind since the last season.
Some climbers avoid using toilets, using only holes in the snow, leaving waste on the land, threatening communities below the mountain.
People living in the shadow of Mount Everest use melted snow for water supply, but now they are afraid of pollution.
Dawa Steven Sherpa, who leads his own cleaning
Rising last month, the leader in the fight against garbage, said: \"Height, oxygen levels, dangerous icing and slippery slopes, and the bad weather in South Cole makes it difficult to bring something as big as a tent.
\"The climbers who suffer from breathing and illness do not pack up heavy tents, but leave them behind and tear off the company logo so they can avoid being discovered.
Steven said that since 2008, his trip up the mountain has been reduced by 20,000 kg of the garbage, and it is estimated that there are 30 tents left on the mountain this season, and nearly 5,000 kg of the garbage.
It can be fatal to bring it back due to the limitations of the conditions.
Aung Doré, director of the Everest pollution control commission, said: \"The problem is that there is no regulation on how to deal with human waste.
Some climbers use biodegradable bags with enzymes that break down human waste, but most do not.
Aung Zhilin, former head of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, said: \"The biggest problems and worries in Mount Everest now are human waste . \"
Hundreds of people have been driving toilets there for weeks.
\"He added that the melting conditions in Camp 2 produce an odor that makes climbers sick and the waste will eventually pollute the water source below and become a health hazard.
Mr. Tshering called on the government to enforce the use of biodegradable garbage bags, which he said would save him and others from the unpleasant task of bringing waste to the slopes.