Trash collected along Maurice Herzog Trail

By Thakur Prasad Acharya,Beni, Dec. 31: Rubbish left by tourists along the Maurice Herzog Trail leading to the Annapurna I Base Camp during the peak tourist season from September to November was collected over the course of a week.

According to tourism entrepreneur Chitra Tilija, the clean-up was carried out jointly by Annapurna Rural Municipality and the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP). The team collected rubbish from the stretch between Humkhola and the Panchakunda Lake area near the Annapurna I Base Camp.

An 11-member team -- led by Tilija and comprising 10 members deputed by the rural municipality and one from ACAP -- collected aluminium and plastic waste along the trail. 

The areas covered included Chhotepa, Humkhola, Phutphute Waterfall, Sandhikharka, Gufaphant, Bhuskete Mela, Dharmashala, Panchakunda Lake, the base camp and other resting points along the route. The collected waste was brought down to Pokharebagar, the rural municipality centre.

Tilija said around 10 sacks, weighing nearly 50 kilograms of plastic waste, were collected. This included wrappers of instant noodles, energy chocolates, biscuits and dry food, as well as bottles of energy drinks such as Red Bull, discarded by both domestic and foreign tourists and their support staff.

He said that waste generated by mountaineers camping during Annapurna I expeditions should be brought down safely by the concerned trekking companies. 

Similarly, waste produced by tea houses around Panchakunda Lake should be properly managed and disposed of at lower altitudes. However, he said trekking companies and tea house operators were found burning business-related waste at the base camp itself.

“We only picked up the rubbish thrown carelessly by trekkers along the trail and at resting points,” Tilija said. “Wrappers of noodles, chocolates and biscuits, and bottles of energy drinks alone filled 10 sacks. It was also evident that trekking operators and tea house owners have not fully understood the environmental sensitivity of the high Himalayan region, as waste was seen being burned or dumped indiscriminately.”

Tilija stressed the need for awareness programmes by the rural municipality to keep the Annapurna I Base Camp and its trail clean.