KATHMANDU, March 18: The Nepalese Army will carry out the ‘Clean Mountain Campaign 2023’ on four mountains including Mount Sagarmatha, the highest peak in the world.
Under the campaign, the NA aims to collect at least 35,000 kilograms of decomposable and non-decomposable waste from Mount Everest, Lhotse, Barunche and Annapurna. The goal is to collect 10,000 kg of rubbish from Everest, 5,000 from Lhotse, 10,000 from Barunche and 10,000 kg from Annapurna, according to NA spokesman Krishna Prasad Bhandari.
The AN has given priority to the implementation of the national initiative of the government to maintain the cleanliness of the highest mountains in the world. Since 2019, NA has been running the Clean Mountain campaign to help clean up mountains while raising awareness about the adverse effects of climate change and human-induced debris in the Himalayas.
The campaign is carried out in coordination and collaboration with various governmental and non-governmental organizations that work in the sector. The campaign is expected to make a significant contribution to attracting tourists and mountaineers, while preserving the mountains for future generations.
It is estimated that there are some 14,000 tons of garbage and more than 300 corpses on Mount Everest alone.
For this year’s campaign, 13 NA troops will be deployed to Everest and Lhotse, 9 to Barunche and 10 soldiers to Annapurna along with a Sherpa guide and helpers. The campaign will take place from March 28 to June 6.
In early 2019, 10,800 kilograms of decomposable and non-decomposable waste and four human corpses were collected from Everest and 27,671 kilograms of garbage from Everest, Lhotse, Pumari, Makalu, Dhaulagiri and Amdablam mountains in the campaign conducted in 2021.
According to the army, in 2022, two decomposed human bodies along with 7,157 kg of degradable waste and 33,877 kg of non-degradable waste 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 Townships, Everest National Park Management Office, Himalayan Rescue Association, Expedition Operators Association, Tourism Board of Nepal, Nepal Mountaineering Association, Nepal Trekking Agents Association.
The Everest Pollution Control Committee, the 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.
Recyclable waste collected under the campaign is brought to Kathmandu for recycling, while decomposable waste is managed in the respective areas in collaboration with local governments.
Spokesperson Bhandari said that the Clean Mountain campaign has become a new feature in the field of conservation and preservation of nature and the environment in the country.
