Increased local tourism and toxic substances transported to glaciers from distant locales can contribute to high concentrations of human-sourced metal pollution in snow and streams around Mount Everest that is likely degrading the quality of water used by thousands of residents and climbers.
Contaminated Water Sources
After participating in the 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition, Heather Clifford, a doctorate student in the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, did fresh research that supports this claim.
“Even though our findings are preliminary, we believe that there may be health risks for people who rely on the Khumbu Glacier melt for irrigation and drinking water,” she stated.
“Additional spatial environmental monitoring, particularly examining the streams’ chemical and biological composition, could aid in evaluating the health effects, water quality, and possible heavy metal sources.”
The environment does naturally contain heavy metals. However, human activity can lead to far higher amounts in the soil and atmosphere, which can then have an impact on the availability of food and drinking water.
Batteries, incinerators, and helicopter and generator fuel are suspected of contributing to pollution in the Khumbu Glacier, which can be a frequently fatal barrier for aspiring Mount Everest climbers. Clifford suggested that even human waste might be deteriorating the water supply.
However, because the yearly South Asian monsoon can carry deposit chemicals from a considerable distance, mining, metal smelting, and the burning of coal and oil from kilometers away could potentially be contributing contributors to pollution, in addition to local sources.
Environmental Monitoring
Clifford analyze the chemical makeup of a shallow ice core taken from the Khumbu Glacier at 5,300 meters, as well as pre-monsoon samples of stream water at 4,300–5,250 meters and snow at 5,200–6,665 meters from Mount Everest, Mount Lobuche, and the Imja Valley.
According to Clifford, this is the first in-depth description of the pre-monsoon snow/water elements chemistry for the area as well as the first analysis of this kind on Khumbu Glacier ice.
According to the study, 65 percent of the local water supply during the dry, pre-monsoon season comes from meltwater from the Khumbu Glacier. The water supply is further taxed by the 57,000 climbers who can make the annual trek to Mount Everest Base Camp, in addition to the 3500-6000 villagers who rely on it for irrigation, drinking, and cooking.
In an area that is only going to grow more susceptible to heavy metal pollution as tourism around the world’s highest peak grows, Clifford thinks more research and environmental monitoring are needed.
Are Authorities Acting Sufficiently?
In 2014, the government of Nepal instituted a deposit plan that required all summiteers to deposit US $4,000 before the expedition in order to fight the solid trash caused by climbers. They must return to the Base Camp with at least 8 kilograms of rubbish each, which is the typical quantity that is thought to be produced by an individual throughout the trip, in order to receive their money back.
Additionally, the Nepali government often organizes its troops to travel to Mount Everest on cleanup missions. For instance, the Nepali army collected more than 2 tons of rubbish in 2019 in collaboration with non-governmental organizations, and in 2023, the army-led Mountain Clean-up Campaign gathered 35 tons of waste on four summits, including Mount Everest, Mount Lhotse, Mount Annapurna, and Mount Baruntse.
Numerous private businesses and non-governmental organizations are also spearheading and planning cleanup efforts and educating climbers and the community about the value of solid waste management.
Role of NGOs
The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) is one such outstanding organization. It was founded in 1991 with the goals of educating the local population about the 3Rs—reducing, reusing, and recycling—and advancing environmental sustainability through the construction of sustainable waste management infrastructure. The Mount Everest Biogas Project is another organization working to address the region’s human waste problem. It is constructing a solar-powered biogas system that is fueled by human excrement in order to provide sustainable fuel to nearby towns.
Recommendations
The number of climbers has increased over the years, despite the fact that governmental, non-governmental, and commercial organizations have collaborated to regulate waste contamination. Particularly in pristine locations like Everest, waste management and waste reduction techniques are insufficient on their own because they don’t deal with the core of the issue.
When it comes to tightening control over expedition formation, expedition traffic flow, security procedures, and environmental protection, Nepal’s regulations for Everest expeditions are pathetic in comparison to those of other nations.
China is a prime illustration of this. Here, consideration will be given to expedition organizers who fulfill the requirements stipulated by the China Tibet Mountaineering Association. Additionally, mountaineering teams who are certified to ascend Everest via the Nepal route are not permitted to ascend from Tibet. China only grants 300 climbing permits to foreigners each year in terms of traffic control. One guide per summit climber and a ban on foreign visitors going on solo climbs—which Nepal only implemented last year—are two security-related measures in the nation.
By putting policies in place akin to those in China, the Nepali government should place a higher priority on holding offenders accountable and monitoring them. Furthermore, it is important to promote sustainable practices in terms of eco-friendly climbing apparel and gear. Finally, to encourage appropriate disposal in specified locations, visitors and the local community should be educated on sustainable and practical living choices.
Conclusion
Given how much Nepal’s economy depends on tourism, environmental deterioration in the area may make already dire issues worse and portend a bleak future for the landlocked nation. Tourist littering, microplastic pollution, and human waste all contribute to the ecological harm that climate change is causing to Mount Everest. “We are living on this planet as if we had another one to go to,” as the 1977 Goldman Environmental Prize winner Terry Swearingen famously remarked.
Indeed, the popularity of climbing created a way of life that influenced the lives of the inhabitants, from world record holders to job chances. However, we must take more proactive steps to safeguard the mount Everest dream if we wish to continue selling it.
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References
Amidst Growing Mountain Tourism in Nepal, Mount Everest Confronts the Perils of Pollution
Ball State Professor Working To Bring Clean Water To Nepal
Could Mount Everest’s drinking water be polluted?
https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/news/153202/mount-everest-drinking-water/
