Mount Everest Human Waste - In a bid to control the growing waste problem on the world's highest peak, Nepal authorities have created a new rule that requires each climber to bring down 8kg of trash from the summit of Mount Everest or face a fine.
The new directive comes as the chief of Nepal's mountaineering association Ang Tshering revealed on Tuesday that the pile up of human waste - particularly feces and urine - on the path to the summit of Mount Everest is causing pollution on the mountain and could lead to the spread of communicable diseases. This announcement follows a decision of Nepal authorities to change the climbing route of Mount Everest from the 'west shoulder' to a more central route due to safety concerns.
Each year, up to 700 climbers trod up and down Mount Everest along with local guides - known as Sherpas. During the climbing season, which lasts up to 2 months, the climbers virtually live on the mountain. While the camp at the base of the mountain has toilet tents, the other three camps dotted on the way to its summit doesn't have any such provisions. According to Tshering, climbers usually dig holes and use it as a toilet. Reports indicate that some climbers also carry disposable toilet bags that they use to properly store their waste.
It is unclear why no toilet facilities have been provided at the other camps on the way to the top of Mount Everest. One theory is that it will be difficult to transport the accumulated waste to the foot of the mountain for it to be properly disposed. The human waste from the toilet tents at the base camp of Mount Everest is said to be transported to a lower area where it is disposed properly. Naturally, this would be much difficult to do with the camps located higher on the path to the summit of the mountain.
In order to compel climbers to bring back their waste from the summit of the mountain, Nepal authorities have announced that each climbing team would be required to leave a deposit of $4,000, which would be forfeited if they refuse to comply with the rule of bringing 8kg of waste each from the top of the mountain.
