Oxygen cylinders, masks provided to tourist lodges

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Mar. 30: In a bid to help save the lives of Korean tourists visiting the Khumbu, Annapurna and Langtang Regions, the Park’s Foundation Nepal has made available an oxygen cylinder, regulator and oxygen mask to one lodge in each region. 

Handing over the life-saving equipment to the lodge owners, President of the Park’s Foundation Nepal Ang Dorjee Sherpa hoped that the small support would be helpful for saving the lives of tourists visiting those popular destinations.

“Though we have wanted the Korean tourists to use this facility, anyone in need may use it,” said Sherpa while speaking at a ceremony organised here in Kathmandu on Tuesday to hand over the equipment.

According to the organisation, the lodges that have received the equipment include Snow Land Lodge at Gorekshap in the Khumbu Region, Nurling Kyangjin Gomba Guest House at Kyangjin of Langtang, and Annapurna Guest House at Annapurna Base Camp. The organisation also provided Rs. 7,000 to each of the three lodges as transportation cost to transport the equipment. The lodge owners were happy to get the oxygen cylinder and masks. 

President of the Korea Tours and Trekking Operator Association of Nepal (KTTOAN) Amar Bahadur Shahi and its general secretary Arjun Paudel were also present on the occasion.  

Those regions have started witnessing a large number of foreign as well as Nepali trekkers this spring. However, there are chances for visitors to catch altitude-related sicknesses during their trip. 

The philanthropic organisation was set up in 2008 by renowned South Korean alpinist Park Young Seok and his friends, including Sherpa, to contribute to the health and education sectors in Nepal. But Park, along with two other Korean climbers, has gone missing from the South Wall of Annapurna since October 2011.  Some years ago, the organization organized health camps in Dhunche of Rasuwa district and Kakani of Nuwakot district. More than 12,000 locals of those areas had benefitted from the health camps. It also distributed more than 40 computers to schools in 13 different districts. Besides, it gave improved stoves to more than 300 households in Phapre village of Okhaldhunga district.