TRASH MOUNTAIN: Record number of climbers crowding Mt. Everest has left a government cleanup crew grappling with how to clear away everything from abandoned tents to human waste that threatens drinking water.
After every party it's time to clean up and Mount Everest is no different. The record number of climbers crowding the world's highest mountain this season has left a government cleanup crew grappling with how to clear away everything from abandoned tents to human waste that threatens drinking water.
"The altitude, oxygen levels, dangerously icy and slippery slopes, and bad weather of South Col make it very difficult to bring such big things as tents down," said Dawa Steven Sherpa, who led an independent cleanup last month and has been a leading figure in the campaign to clean Mount Everest for the past 12 years.
Sherpa estimated 30 tents had been left on South Col, and as much as 5,000 kilograms of trash. Bringing it down is a herculean task when any misstep at such altitudes could be fatal. People living at the Base Camp use melted snow for drinking water that climbers' toilets threaten to contaminate. "Everest is our god and it was very sad to see our god so dirty. How can people just toss their trash on such a sacred place?" she said."When the snow melts the garbage surfaces. And when there is high wind, tents are blown and torn and the contents are scattered all over the mountain, which makes it even more dangerous for climbers already navigating a slippery, steep slope in snow and high winds," said Ang Tshering, former president of Nepal Mountaineering Association.
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