Eugh: Nepal says there's too much poo on Mount Everest

Human waste left by climbers on the world's tallest mountain,  Mount Everest has become a problem that is causing pollution and threatening to spread disease on the world’s highest peak, the chief of Nepal’s mountaineering association has said.

The more than 700 climbers and guides who spend nearly two months on Everest’s slopes each climbing season leave large amounts of faeces and urine, and the issue has not been addressed, Ang Tshering told reporters.


He said Nepal’s government needs to get the climbers to dispose of the waste properly so the mountain remains pristine.

Climbers spend weeks acclimatising around the four camps set up between the base camp at 17,380-ft. and the 29,035-ft. summit but the camps do not have toilets.

“Climbers usually dig holes in the snow for their toilet use and leave the human waste there,” Tshering said, adding that the waste has been “piling up” for years around the four camps.

At the base camp, where there are more porters, cooks and support staff during the climbing season, there are toilet tents with drums to store the waste. Once filled, the drums are carried to a lower area, where the waste is properly disposed.

Dawa Steven Sherpa, who has been leading Everest cleanup expeditions since 2008, said:

“It is a health hazard and the issue needs to be addressed,” he said.

Nepal’s government has not come up with a plan yet to tackle the issue of human waste. But starting this season, officials stationed at the base camp will strictly monitor garbage on the mountain, said Puspa Raj Katuwal, the head of the government’s Mountaineering Department.


-TIME