Narayan Neupane, 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. (RSS)