How Much is Too Much for Mount Everest? Isn’t It Sagarmatha Time to Rest – Global Issues
KATHMANDU, Sep 16 (IPS) – When Kancha Sherpa, the only surviving member of the first successful expedition to Mt. Everest, saying it’s time for Sagarmatha, as the tallest mountain in the world is known in Nepal, to rest, isn’t it time for the world to listen?”That’s Mt. Everest!” I heard this from a trekking guide in his trekking group. I stopped and asked him—which one! He wasn’t our guide, but I got close. He pointed his finger at me and showed me Mount Everest and I cried—I don’t know why. I was overwhelmed and humbled to finally see the tallest mountain in the world—not from base camp but from Thyangboche on my way back.
Whenever I think of the mountains, I immediately go to that time when I was filled with emotion and the number of people who went there. The Khumbu region, home to the world’s highest mountains, including Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest), sees a large number of climbers and trekkers, especially during the spring season, and concerns are growing.
Last May, I had the opportunity to visit and report on the area. One thing I noticed was the concern over the increase in the number of hikers and mountaineers. I was surprised by the number of people coming and going to the camp—this got me thinking: Is it sustainable in a region that is already vulnerable to the effects of rising temperatures?
In recent years, the number of climbers and trekkers has been at an all-time high, and the influx of people has led to incidents of “traffic jams” on Everest. Every year, more than 450 climbers from all over the world receive permits from the Nepalese government to climb Mt. Everest, and this number is constantly increasing. More than 50,000 people go to the camp every year, which I believe is too many for a vulnerable area like Khumbu.
There I met Kancha Sherpa, aged 92, the only surviving member of the first team to summit Mt. Everest in 1953. He expressed his fears, saying the mountain needs “rest” and “respect.”
“For the government, Mt. Everest is only about money,” said Sherpa. “And for climbers these days, it’s only about creating records.” From his home in Namche, Solukhumbu, Sherpa shares his frustrations with the proliferation and commercialization of mountaineering activities.
For sherpas, the mountain is their goddess, their home. They worship him. I remember Kancha Sherpa kindly saying, “Thank you. But our goddess is tired of human waste; she needs to rest for some time.”
During my entire reporting trip and after my return, Kancha Sherpa’s voice kept ringing in my mind—the mountain needs rest and respect.
Yes, tourism and trekking is not only a livelihood for Khumbu communities but also a major source of income for the Nepalese government. It creates opportunities – although local people are mostly forced to become guides or help people with trekking and exploring the mountains.
But at what cost, or is it sustainable? I don’t believe it is. Science has long told us that the impact of rising temperatures is highest in the mountains. Reports say that the impact of climate change on the mountains of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region, which hosts the Sagarmatha range, is unprecedented and irreversible. It means that changes in ice, snow, and ice bases driven by global warming are of great concern and require urgent action.
But overpopulation in the Everest region serves as a catalyst for an already vulnerable region and predisposes it to worse conditions to come.
Glaciers are retreating rapidly and creating glacial lakes, which may erupt in the future and sweep away everything in their path. The increasing number of hikers and climbers may have contributed to this disturbance of the natural conditions.
In the region, not only experienced climbers like Sherpa but also tourists are voicing their concerns—Dr. Alex Balauta was one of them.
Balauta, who came from Austria, said, “It was a secret place for many years, but now it has become very commercial and full of people.” He expressed concern about the possible impact of overcrowding in the region and wished that there would be appropriate government intervention to protect the sanctity of the Everest region.
I completely agree with his concern. To provide relaxation in a fragile area and keep it clean and private, respecting the beliefs of the local communities, there should be some kind of cap on the number of people allowed to climb and walk in the region every year.
And there is hope for people like us, which came as a mandamus order from the court on April 26 (2024) the Supreme Court of Nepal said that the number of climbers and the climbing time should be allowed according to the capacity of the mountain.
I strongly believe that this decision is historic and paves the way for the number of mountain climbers, including Sagarmatha. The government needs to act quickly because it is too late, and we all need to think deeply, analyze, and decide the urgent question: How much is Mt. Everest?
I hope we all put the needs of the mountains before our efforts to conquer them. And I hope the government will listen to the loud voice of the decorated Sherpa: “The mountain needs a rest!”
This opinion document is published with the support of the Open Society Foundations.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
