A member of a Nepalese government-funded team uses a shovel to remove frozen debris on Mount Everest in Nepal in 2021. Many of them left more than just their footprints.
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KATHMANDU, Nepal — A Sherpa says the highest camp on the world’s highest mountain is littered with trash and will take years to clear. corpse.
A Nepalese government-sponsored team of soldiers and Sherpas removed 11 tons (24,000 pounds) of trash, four bodies and a skeleton from Mount Everest during this year’s climbing season.
Ang Babu Sherpa, leader of the Sherpa team, said the South Col, the last camp before climbers attempt the summit, may still contain as much as 40-50 tons (88,000-110,000 pounds) )Trash.
He said: “Most of the garbage left behind is old tents, some food packaging and gas bottles, oxygen bottles, tent bags and ropes used for climbing and tying tents.” He added that the garbage is layered and has a freezing temperature of 8,000 Around ℃.
Thousands of climbers have climbed the mountain since it was first conquered in 1953, many of whom have left behind more than just their footprints.
In recent years, the government requires climbers to bring back garbage, otherwise they will lose their deposits. Coupled with the increase in environmental awareness among climbers, the amount of garbage left behind has been significantly reduced. However, this was not the case in previous decades.
“Most of the trash comes from earlier expeditions,” Anbabu said.
The Sherpas on the team collect trash and bodies at higher altitudes, while the soldiers work for weeks at lower altitudes and in the base camp area during the spring climbing season, when weather conditions are more favorable.
Garbage collected on the way to Mount Everest is deposited for sorting and recycling at a facility operated by Agni Ventures, an agency that manages recyclable waste, in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, June 24, 2024.
Sanjog Manandal/Associated Press
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Ang Babu said the weather was a huge challenge for their work in the South Col area, where oxygen levels were about one-third of normal levels, winds could quickly turn into blizzards and temperatures plummeted.
“We have to wait for good weather and the sun will melt the ice caps. But it is impossible to wait for a long time with this attitude and conditions,” he said. “Oxygen levels are so low that it’s difficult to stay there for long periods of time.”
Digging out garbage is also a difficult task because it is frozen in ice and breaking the blocks is not easy.
He said it took two days to exhume a body that was frozen deep in the ice near the South Col. Midway, due to the deterioration of the weather, the team had to retreat to a lower camp and resume their operations after the weather improved.
Another body was found at an altitude of 8,400 meters (27,720 feet) and it took 18 hours to tow it to Camp 2 and pick it up by helicopter.
The body was flown to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu for identification.
Of the 11 tons of garbage removed, three tons of decomposable items were transported to villages near the Everest base, while the remaining eight tons were carried by porters and yaks before being trucked to Kathmandu. There, it is sorted and sent to a facility run by Agni Ventures, the agency that manages recyclable waste, for recycling.
“The oldest waste we received was from 1957, and it was rechargeable batteries for flashlights,” said the agency’s Sushil Khadga.
Why do climbers leave trash behind?
Khadgar said: “Life is very difficult at that high altitude and oxygen is very low. So climbers and their helpers are more focused on self-rescue.”
