After successfully completing the Mount Everest cleaning campaign in 2019, the NA has started Mountain Cleaning 2021 with a noble objective of cleaning the six mountains, including Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Pumori, Mt. Amadablam, Mt. Makalu, and Mt. Dhaulagiri.

The Nepali Government had released over NPR 120 million to the NA to launch the campaign.

According to Major Rupak Jung Thapa, a team of 24 members, comprising 10 NA personnel and 14 from a private expedition company, had reached the base camp of the 8,462 meters-mountain on April 25. The team trekked up to Camp 4 (7,400 meters) of the fifth highest mountain and collected 6,700 Kgs of garbage.

Of collected trash, 4,882 kgs were non-biodegradable and 1,725 kgs were biodegradable.

The NA has handed over the bio-degradable waste to Makalu Rural Municipality Chair Tej Bahadur Pokharel, and non-biodegradable waste will be taken to Kathmandu.

Stay Tuned to NepaliSansar for Latest Nepal Tourism News!

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The pandemic has turned busy tourism spots into secluded destinations, and a climbing community in Nepal has leveraged this tourism hiatus to clean Mount Everest. They spent 47 days collecting and cleaning around 2.2 tons of trash and garbage scattered around the Mount Everest base camp.

A Swiss luxury brand launched an initiative called Bally Peak Outlook to preserve the world’s tallest mountains and extreme environments from the consequences of excessive tourism and global warming.

So, a group of Nepali climbers and environmental activist Dawa Steven Sherpa partnered with the brand and locals and started an initiative in 2008 to remove trash from the mountains. A team of 12 climbers cleaned the eight highest peaks in Nepal.

Last fall, a #BallyPeakOutlook expedition embarked on the first phase of our #8X8000M pledge to clean up the base camps of Nepal’s eight 8,000m mountains. Over 47 days, 2.2 tons of waste were removed from Cho Oyu, Everest, Lhotse and Makalu. Learn more at https://t.co/k4aTRjwhWk pic.twitter.com/Drnj4J26lQ

— BALLY (@Bally) March 29, 2021

A series of five short video clips capturing the expedition team cleaning Nepal’s eight highest mountains was released recently.

The latest initiative to clean Mt. Everest was earlier scheduled to start in early 2020 but was delayed to late September due to the pandemic.

“When we take away garbage from the mountains, it must feel to the gods like taking a thorn out of their finger,” said Steven Sharma, adding that the mountain is their spiritual home, and they feel it’s their right and responsibility to protect it.

Stay Tuned to Nepali Sansar for the latest news on Nepal Tourism!

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For the first time in the history of Everest climbing, Nepal conducted the mega Everest Clean-up Drive for over a month in the last spring season.

In coordination with the government and private agencies, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation conducted the cleaning campaign on the mountain from April 14 – May 29, 2019.

Twelve trained Sherpa climbers, including ice-fall doctors, collected approximately 10,386 kg of garbage from the mountain.

Of the total trash collected, 5,049 kg were recycled (including glass, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans), but the remaining non-recyclable material had to be incinerated or sent to landfill.

[Also Read: COVID-19 Clears Air for Mt Everest ‘Visibility’ From 123 Miles]

Around 5,700 kg of the total litter was collected from base camp, high camps, old Khumbu Icefall route, and other settlements of the mountain.

“The largest clean-up of Mt. Everest saw 10,386 kg of garbage collection from the mountain by 12 Sherpas between 14 April to 29 May 2019,” read the GWR certificate.

“The most common types of litter retrieved were wrappers, thermo-insulation linings and broken glass,” informed Meera Acharya, Spokesperson at the Department of Tourism (DoT).

According to DoT, the Nepali Government spent NPR 27 million for the cleaning program.

Apart from the garbage, the Sherpas also retrieved four bodies of climbers who had died while climbing Mt. Everest.

[Also Read Bahrain Army to Climb ‘Mt Everest’ in 2021]

The Ministry of Forests and Environment, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, the Nepali Army, the Nepal Mountaineering Association and the Nepal Tourism Board are some agencies that assisted the cleaning campaign.

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The number of deaths on Mt Everest was put at 11 by the international media, making it the deadliest season since 2015. However, the Nepal tourism ministry maintained the death toll at 9.

“Our attention has been drawn to the wrong information about deaths on Mt Everest conveyed by national and international media,” said Dandu Raj Ghimire, Director General of the Department of Tourism (DoT), adding that “traffic jam” did not cause the deaths.

A ‘Traffic jam’ occurs when many climbers vie for the summit at the same time, and can be especially dangerous above 8,000 metres known as the ‘death zone’

According to Ghimire, the post-mortem reports of the deceased climbers have shown that they died due to high altitude sickness, weakness or adverse weather conditions.

In the statement, the DoT has stated that it had issued 366 expedition permits in 2017 and 346 expedition permits in 2018 – not a huge difference compared to 381 permits issued this year for the highest peak.

“Hence, it untrue that congestion killed climbers on Mt Everest and we urge everyone not to be swayed by false information,” the statement added.

Ghimire also expressed his dissatisfaction at the dissemination of such “wrong” information in the international media.

“Such false news tarnishes our image and affects our mountaineering sector. Therefore, everyone should think twice before passing such misleading messages in the international platform,” he added.

More than 200 mountaineers have died on the peak since 1922 when the first climbers’ deaths on Mt Everest were recorded.

The majority of bodies are believed to have remained buried under glaciers or snow.

Five people died on Mt Everest in 2018.

In 2016 and 2017, the world’s tallest peak claimed lives of six and five climbers respectively.

In 2015, quake-triggered avalanches killed 20 climbers.

Hundreds of climbers flock each year to Nepal – home to several of the world’s highest mountains, to scale Himalayan peaks during the spring season that begins around March and ends in June.

According to Nepal Department of Tourism, more than 4,400 people have scaled the summit since Edmund Hilary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay first conquered the mountain in 1953.

Source: Business Standard

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Nepali Sansar is back again with its interesting weekly round-up news headlines, this time for the week April 27-May 03, 2019.

As every time, the Himalayan nation has many key happenings in this week as well. Let’s take a look at some of them:

Nepal Top Headlines (April 27-May 03, 2019)

1) A Step Ahead in ICC T20 Rankings

Continuing with its pace in ICC T20 Cricket rankings, Nepal’s position moved three ranks further to 11^th position with 212 points. The improvement in ranking from the previous 14^th to present 11^th is attributed to the Nepali team’s 2-1 win against UAE in the last ODI series. Bangladesh has made it a step further ahead of Nepal, while Pakistan made it to the top with 286 points followed by Sri Lanka (262 points) and England (261 points) and India (260 points).

2) Model School Campaign

In a move introducing new style of functioning in the local education system, PM Oli on May 02, 2019 launched the ‘Model Smart School’ campaign that will promote usage of IT-based teaching system in the country. The Prime Minister launched the campaign marking the 2^nd anniversary of the National IT Day. The drive has been launched from the Bishwo Shanti Secondary School in Kaski, which has officially become the first full technology-friendly IT school in Gandaki State.

3) 4 Tons Trash from Mt. Everest

In a new clean-up drive on Mount Everest, the climbing team has cleared around 3 tons of trash from Mount Everest. The trash collected by a 14-member government team included cans, bottles, plastic and discarded climbing gear.

“The clean-up campaign will be continued in the coming seasons as well. It is our responsibility to keep our mountains clean,” says Dandu Raj Ghimire, Head of Nepal’s tourism department.

4) Govt Committed to Jobs

Marking the 130^th International Labor Day 2019 on May 01, 2019, PM Oli extended his government’s commitment to enhancing job opportunities in the country. Stating that the Prime Minister Employment Program is already under implementation, PM informed that the government officials are currently listing the unemployed Nepali citizens in all local units through a special Employment Service Center. PM also informed that the jobless citizens will receive a subsistence allowance and employment for at least 100 days in a fiscal year.

5) Trekking in Spring

A total of 824 climbers from 100 mountaineering expedition teams have received permissions to summit 27 Himalayan peaks. According to the Tourism Department, out of the total number, 377 climbers from 39 teams were permitted to climb the Mount Everest this spring season. And, 364 foreign climbers from 34 teams are among those who received permission to scale the Everest peak. Looking at this last year, a total of 346 climbers have received permission to summit the Mount Everest.

6) NPR 6.3 Billion Overlooked!

Yes, you read It right! The government has overlooked around NPR 6.3 billion reportedly found to have been misappropriated by local NGOs. The government has failed to take necessary actions due to pressure from local NGO operators over department officials.

7) Transitional Justice Act

Transitional Justice Act has once again appeared for a serious debate. Victims of the insurgency and human rights community have urged the government to call for the amendment of the Transitional Justice Act before finalizing the officials to the two transitional justice bodies. In a press meet held in Kathmandu on May 02, 2019, conflict victims and human rights defenders accused the government of stepping back on its earlier commitment to moving the transitional justice process.

List not exhaustive, there have been many more interesting updates pertaining to Nepal in the week period, besides major ones like Nepal Budget Session FY 2019-20, Fani Cyclone, Doubled gasoline production, Visit Lumbini 2076, etc.

Stay tuned for more regular updates on Nepal!

Nepali Sansar wishes you A Happy Weekend!

Previous Week:-

• Nepal Weekly News Round-up: April 20-26, 2019
• Nepal Weekly News Round-up: April 13-19, 2019
• Nepal Weekly News Round-up: April 06-April 12, 2019

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In a recent update on April 08, 2019, Nepal has announced that it is sending a team of government-appointed climbers for the project to remeasure the height of the world’s tallest peak.

Four government surveyors have already been scheduled to leave for the Everest peak on April 09, 2019.

Through this project, Nepal aims to answer persistent speculations that the ‘height of the Mount Everest has come down’ after the massive 2015 earthquake’.

“We are sending a team because there were questions regarding the height of Everest after the earthquake,” Susheel Dangol, the expedition’s coordinator from the Survey Department, said in a statement.

The four surveyors are stepping up for the project after a two-year-long detailed study on the methodology to remeasure the peak, which included collecting readings from the ground and getting trained on extreme conditions at the top of the world.

“It will not be easy to work in that terrain, but we are confident our mission will be successful,” says Khim Lal Gautam, the expedition’s leader and chief surveyor, who summited the Everest peak in 2011.

The height of Mount Everest has been a long debate because of the disagreement among geologists and mountaineers, among others over inclusion of snow atop the peak in the total measurement.

The current height of Mount Everest measures 8,848 meters (29,029 feet) as recorded by an Indian survey in 1954. This figure remained till date even though various other teams measured it later.

Height and Route to climb Mount Everest

PM Bids Farewell

PM Oli bid a farewell to the team embarking on official survey trip to the Mount Everest peak.

In a special program held in Kathmandu on April 10, 2019, Oli offered Tika and garlands to the expedition team, wishing them a grand success on their journey.

Oli was elated in saying that the survey is Nepal Government’s first-ever attempt to re-measure Everest’s height officially and results add to the government’s data treasure.

The team comprises of the Survey Department’s technical staff Khimlal Gautam, Rabin Karki, Suraj Singh Bhandari and Yuvaraj Dhital will remeasure the height of Mount Everest or Sagarmatha.

While, a team of Sherpa including Aangpasang Sherpa, Pemangima Sherpa, Chhiring Jangbu Sherpa, Keshab Poudel and Angbu Sherpa will be guiding the team in their expedition.

The Background

Following a long-standing debate on whether the 2015 earthquake in Nepal had affected the height of Mount Everest, Nepal launched a ‘national pride’ project in 2017 to remeasure the height of the Everest peak.

The Government of Nepal informed this in a statement on September 15, 2017.

“Nepal has never measured Everest on its own although the world’s highest peak lies in its territory. So, we want to prove to our people that Nepal is capable of measuring Everest,” says Ganesh Prasad Bhatta, Head of Nepali Government’s survey department.

Bhatta informed that a team of Nepali and foreign experts have already begun working on the methodology for implementation of the survey, which is expected to be a two-year process.

Under this process, a Sherpa team will be reaching the peak with necessary measuring equipment, either in April or October 2018, which is usually a favorable period on the peak, a release in 2017 informed.

Finally, the day has come on April 09, 2019!

Other important developments related to Mount Everest over the year period:

Special Fee for Foreign Tourists

A day after informing about the new project, the Government of Nepal on September 16, 2017, made another announcement for foreign tourists visiting Mount Everest.

According to Nima Dorjee Sherpa, the newly-elected Chairman of the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality in Solukhumbu District, Nepali Constituent Assembly has passed a directive asking the Rural Municipality to levy a Rs 2,000 entry fee on every foreigner visiting the Khumbu region for Mount Everest.

This decision, to be effective from October 1, 2017, was part of its efforts to promote local tourism and decentralize revenue collection to the local bodies of the country, says Nima Dorjee.

The Nepali Government was also asked to restrict other agencies and NGOs such as Nepal Mountaineering Association, Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal and Nepal Tourism Board from collecting any entry fee from foreigners visiting the Khumbu region.

Online Health Services Launched

To address the health challenges that trekkers usually face on their travel across the Everest camp, a local service provider, Everest Link has launched online health services in the region.

Now, trekkers and mountaineers traveling across the Lukla-Everest Base Camp route can get free online medical services through Wi-Fi facility.

According to Tshering Gyaljen Sherpa, CEO of Everest Link, the services are being provided in collaboration with the two hospitals based in Khumbu and Kathmandu.

As per the official data, 100,000 tourists (35,000 foreigners) are allowed to scale the peak, annually.

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His challenge was complete after he climbed the 8,850-metre (29,035-foot) summit of Everest on Monday morning. The climb to the peak lasted for about 7 hours and had started from the final camp at the 8,000-metre (26,246-foot) South Col. 

Ishwari Poudel, Managing Director at Himalayan Guides said, “Plain took nearly seven hours to reach the summit point from Camp IVon Mt Everest.”

As part of his conquest, Plain climbed the Mount Vinson in Antarctica on January 16^th, followed by Mount Aconcagua in South America, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mount Carstensz Pyramid in Papua Guinea (which covers Australia and Oceania), Mount Elbrus in Europe and Denali in North America.

Ishwari who had taken care of logistics for Plain said that he had a received a phone call informing him that the Australian climber and 2 guides reached the peak at 7am and were descending now.

Further praising the Australian, Ishwari said, “He has set the record of climbing Seven Summits in the shortest time of 117 days.”

Post his adventure, he was hospitalized and was diagnosed with multiple fractures to several vertebra. He also had a disrupted spinal cord, ruptured disc, dissected arterial artery and torn ligaments.

Doctors have declared that he may not able to walk again, although he was lucky enough to survive.

Plain’s record breaks the record made by Polish climber, Janusz Kochanski. Janusz had taken 126 days to complete the climb of the seven summits.

A video featuring him in the last few steps to the top and receiving an award for his feat, was published on YouTube.

14^th May – A Day of Firsts

Another team of rope-fixing climbers created a route from the Tibetian side to the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain. This move has made them the first team to scale the peak from the North ridge.

Also Read:

• Loveraj Singh, First Indian to Scale Mount Everest 6 Times Felicitated in Nepal
• Sudarshan Gautam – The First Armless Climber to Scale Mount Everest without Prosthetics
• 445 Climbers Reached the Peak of Mount Everest this Spring
• Nepali Women Mountaineers to Mt Everest On Rise

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Many inspirational stories have proven this and on the same lines, here comes another interesting one.

Upon his love for Nepal and its people, Stratford-born Hasely Lobb called for a mission to ensure water facilities to a Nepali village called Musey, badly hit by the 2015 earthquake.

Hasely, President of New Plymouth Mountain Bikers Club New Zealand, has created a challenge of climbing 8,848 m, the height of Mt Everest, within November 2017.

According to Hasely, various participants from Wellington, Christchurch, Taranaki and Australia have also joined the challenge that is expected to raise a USD 20,000 fund.

The fund, being raised through the Everyday Hero page online, will go to the Himalayan Trust’s Musey Water Appeal which eventually works for safe water facilities to communities living in the Everest region.

A Love-driven Cause!

                        (File Picture: Hasely Lobb)

Expressing his love for Nepal, Hasely says he has visited the country twice so far and always loved it.

He feels concerned for not being able to help the country at the time of the 2015 earthquake disaster due to lack of proper means, however, has finally stepped ahead in the form of the present challenge.

“I would love to see this challenge become an annual event so that we can keep on raising money,” Hasely adds.

Ride, Run and Jump

The participants can finish the challenge in any way, either by walking, running, climbing, riding or jumping.

According to Hasely, the participants need to climb an average of 295 m per day to finish the challenge.

“One lady has already finished it, she did it in around 12 days. I am trying to do something different every day as much as I possibly can,” he adds.

Hasely mission for the ‘8848m For Nepal challenge’ includes walking the Mangorei Track to the Pouakai Hut, Maude Track to Mangakotukutuku Falls, climbing Paritutu Rock and running up and down the Liardet Street steps 66 times.

Musey, a Small Remote Village

Musey, Nepal is a small village with just 287 people and is reachable after a 40-minute trek from Lukla, the gateway to the Everest region.

The 2015 earthquake has affected Musey very badly, destroying many homes and the village’s water tank.

Since then, the community has been working relentlessly to rebuild homes. Replacing the water tank tops the priority list as the village depends mostly on agriculture for their livelihood and income generation.

Success of the Lukla Drinking Water Project (LDWP), a joint mission of the Himalayan Trust, Action for Nepal and the community of Lukla finished in 2014, forms a strong basis for the latest initiative. The Project is currently serving 200 homes and businesses including many tourist lodges.

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Fighting back the physical disability, a British Gurkha soldier Hari Budha Magar has set a new record on September 19, 2017, by reaching Nepal’s 6,476 meter-long Mera Peak, that too in the Autumn climbing season.

“Budha Magar, the resident of Rolpa District, has become the first double above-knee amputee to climb the country’s highest trekking peak in the autumn season,” read an official statement by the expedition organizer.

According to the organizer, this achievement of Budha Magar was part of his training aimed at attempting climb Mt Everest in Spring 2018.

“Life is all about adaptation,” Budha Magar said in response to his achievement. He further informed that all the five members who joined him in the expedition also reached the peak.

The United Kingdom and Nepal based Himalayan Ski & Treks, and US-based Myrmidon Expeditions supported this expedition organized by the Conquering Dreams Mera Peak Expedition.

The owner of Himalayan Ski Trek, Krishna Thapa Magar hailed Budha Magar for being the first double amputee above the knee who made it to the summit till date.

As per the Nepal Mountaineering Association, Mera peak is the highest peak permitted for trekking in Nepal.

According to Thapa Magar, Budha had to bear the majority of his expedition expenses as no corporate sponsors or donors came forward doubting his abilities.

Meanwhile, Lead climbing Sherpa Mingma David informed that Budha Magar would also be the first bilateral, above-knee amputee to attempt to Mt Everest for an expedition in Spring 2018.

Hari Budha Magar served in the British Army for 15 years and was later discharged from the rank of Corporal on medical grounds in 2014 after he suffered injuries while serving in Afghanistan in 2010, where he lost both the legs below the knees.

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“It only adds to the insult to injury for the unsung heroes of mountain climbing,” said Norbu.

In this regard, Norbu (54) called upon the mountaineering industry, expedition companies, associations, and climbers to speak on behalf of the Sherpa climbers who were denied summit certificates by the government.

He went on to say, “for a true mountaineer, the pride and satisfaction of reaching a summit is far more important than a paper issued by a government office,” while pointing out at government’s reluctance to support Sherpa climbers.

Significant Development Only with Sherpa Community

Norbu, who is also an advocate for reducing risk on Mt Everest, said the clients should understand that a qualified Sherpa’s decisions on safety are as valid as those of the expedition leader.

According to Norbu, high altitude Sherpas and mountaineering workers are at a risk of losing their jobs if found discussing with the Sherpa families about the loss of lives of their family members during the mountaineering activity.

“My family is no exception and this issue of risk and inequity is never far from our minds. I think we can all benefit but significant change can only happen with a combination of self-regulation, involvement of the Sherpa community and if there is someone powerful locally to take on the industry,” noted Norbu.

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