Nepal is home to a plethora of mystifying and awe-inspiring travel destinations – whether it be verdant meadows, high-altitude villages, or sky-high mountain peaks – Nepal has it all. But the destination that stands out, towering above all others, is Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world. Ever since Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first men to set foot on top of the mountain, it has become the cynosure of every questing eye. For some, it is about testing one’s mettle against the ultimate challenge, for others, it’s a vanity thing. The latter ones outnumber the former by a large margin, and they are the real reason behind the destruction that is purging the Everest’s ecosystem.
Earlier, only the most skilled and the most dedicated ones dared to climb the mother of all mountains, but now, anyone who has the right amount of penny in the pocket, can pay their way to the top. If you have a lot of money and very little regard for your life, you can pay the Sherpas and the porters at the base camp and they will drag you to the top, just so you could claim the glory of having conquered the tallest mountain in the world. Since these silver spoon kids aren’t professional climbers, they often get themselves and their guides into trouble. This is the reason why the fatality rate on Everest has skyrocketed in the recent years.
Due to terrible weather conditions, the mountain is open for excursions only for a small window, lasting from March to May, and in this little time slot, people from all over the world flock to the Everest base camp, to make their lifelong dream come true. There are only routes which lead to the top of the mountain – the North Col and the South Col – and since there are so many climbers, the routes experience heavy traffic; even Mumbai’s traffic jams pale in comparison to the traffic on the Everest routes. People think they’ll stand on top of the world’s tallest mountain all by themselves, fling their arms in the air and experience ultimate serenity. Well, apologies for shattering your illusion, but this is what the top looks like.
The array of climbers, marching up and down the slopes, exerts tremendous pressure on the fragile ecosystem of the mountain, as the climbers leave tons of garbage in their wake. The problem has become so severe that the mountain is being regarded as the ‘world’s highest rubbish dump.’ Forget the beautiful, shimmering snow leading you to the top, the path is but a trail of discarded tents, empty oxygen tanks, packets of food, and the occasional human poop. A recent study found out that Everest’s slopes are littered with a total of 3000 kilos of garbage!
Even though the Nepal government has taken measures to clear the mess, it still is a gargantuan task, compounded by the fact that the number of climbers attempting to scale Everest is only going to increase. To counter the problem, the government has started working on a plan to scan and tag climbers’ equipment and gear. A security amount of $4000 will be submitted at the base camp and if the climbers fail to return with all their equipment, the security amount will not be refunded.
While we can be optimistic that Nepal government will come up with a plan and sort out the ginormous mess that humans have created, what we, as responsible citizens can do, is to leave the mountain alone. Everest is a precious gem in the crown of Mother Nature, and human feces should be the last thing on it.