Nepal Army to collect 35,000 kgs of garbage from the mountains

KATHMANDU, March 18: The Nepal Army is going to conduct the ‘Clean Mountain Campaign 2023’ in four mountains including Mount Sagarmatha, the world’s highest peak.    

Under the campaign, the NA has targeted to collect of at least 35,000 kilograms of decomposable and non-decomposable waste from Mount Everest, Lhotse, Barunche, and Annapurna. The target is to collect 10,000 kgs of garbage from Everest, 5,000 from Lhotse, 10,000 from Barunche, and 10,000 kg from Annapurna, according to NA spokesperson Krishna Prasad Bhandari.    

The NA has accorded priority to the implementation of the government’s national initiative to maintain the cleanliness of the world’s highest mountains.

Since 2019, the NA has been conducting the Clean Mountain campaign to help clean the mountains while spreading awareness about the adverse effects of climate change and human-induced waste in the Himalayas.    

The campaign is conducted in coordination and collaboration with various governmental and non-governmental organizations working in the sector. The campaign is expected to make a significant contribution to attracting tourists and mountaineers while also preserving the mountains for future generations.    

It is estimated that there are about 14,000 tons of garbage and more than 300 dead bodies on Mt. Everest alone.   

For the campaign this year, 13 NA personnel will be mobilized for Everest and Lhotse, 9 for Barunche, and 10 soldiers in Annapurna along with a Sherpa guide and helpers. The campaign will be conducted from this March 28 to June 6.    

Earlier in 2019, 10,800 kilograms of decomposable and non-decomposable waste and four human dead bodies were collected from Everest and 27,671 kilos of garbage were collected from Everest, Lhotse, Pumari, Makalu, Dhaulagiri, and Amdablam mountains in the campaign carried out in 2021.    

According to the army, in 2022, two decomposed human bodies along 7, with 157 kg of degradable and 33, 877 kgs of non-degradable waste was collected from were collected from Mount Everest, Lhotse, Manaslu, and Kanchenjunga.    

The campaign will be joined by the Department of Tourism and Environment, Khumbu Pasang Lhamu and Annapurna Rural Municipalities, Everest National Park Administration Office, Himalaya Rescue Association, Expedition Operators Association, Nepal Tourism Board, Nepal Mountaineering Association, Trekking Agents Association of Nepal.    

Everest Pollution Control Committee, Kanchenjunga and Manaslu Conservation Project, various provincial and local levels, international and national non-governmental organizations, and the private sector will also support the campaign. 

The recyclable waste collected under the campaign is brought to Kathmandu for recycling while the decomposable waste is being managed in the respective areas in collaboration with local-level governments.    

Spokesperson Bhandari said that the Clean Mountain campaign has become a new feature in the field of nature and environment conservation and preservation in the country.