Army's mountain clean-up drive aims to collect tonnes of waste

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Apr. 8:The Nepali Army is beginning its fourth edition of the ‘Mountain Clean-up Campaign-2024’ from April 11 to June 5 as part of their objective to collect the garbage deposited in several mountains in Nepal.   

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Brigadier General and Director of the Campaign and Chief of the Nepali Army’s National Park and Wildlife Conservation Directorate Sanjaya Deuja said that Chief of Army Staff Prabhu Ram Sharma will hand over the equipment along with the banner to the team leader on April 11. 

According to Deuja, there is a plan to collect 10 tonnes of solid waste from Mt. Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse this year and hand over the collected waste to a recycling company in Kathmandu. Brigadier Deuja also said that the team has also planned to pick up five dead bodies from these mountains. 

He said, "We all know that environmental pollution is currently a burning issue. The Himalayan region is a sensitive region from an environmental and ecological point of view. The fact that the man-made waste accumulated there has adversely affected the environment and created problems.”

“It is indispensable to maintain the cleanliness of Nepal’s mountains. To maintain harmony between the environment and development, it is necessary to consider the reality that rather than conducting a clean mountain campaign, there should be an effort by the society to develop a culture that does not allow unnecessary waste,” said Deuja. 

Nepali Army has collaborated with the government and private companies including the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Himal Rescue Association Nepal, Department of Tourism, Department for National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, Himalaya Rescue Association Nepal, Nepal Mountaineering Association, Everest Pollution Control Committee, and other organisations related to tourism and mountaineering. The Nepali Army has been conducting this campaign since 2019.