Three tonnes is the weight of some pickup trucks or small trucks, a Nile hippo, as well as heaps of human excreta distributed – according to conservative calculations – along Everest between the first camp at the base and the fourth camp near the top. Much of this feces actually accumulates in the South Col, an area that has gained a reputation as an “open-air latrine.” Other estimates conclude that the fecal footprint is much larger, at up to 12 tonnes per season.

The authorities responsible for maintaining the mountain were fed up with this pile of debris and decided to find a clear solution. Which? Now require climbers to collect their feces in biodegradable bags.

This is innumerable indicators of the damage that tourist oversaturation is doing to Everest and other iconic mountains like Fuji.

A trace of feces. Climbing Everest is an epic battle, an adventure that requires money and grueling training, both physical and mental, but not everything about the climbs is so heroic. Climbers leave garbage behind. Lots of garbage. So much so that it is in danger of turning into a real open-air garbage dump. And this waste includes much more than plastic, fabric and food scraps. The relevant part is the feces left behind by the hundreds of climbers and Sherpas who show up on its slopes every year.

Typically, peak climbers try to dig holes and then bury their feces to relieve themselves, but this solution does not always work. In places where the snow layer is less thick, feces are often exposed. And in the middle of the mountain, where temperatures reach -42°C, these ruins remain completely intact, giving Everest officials a headache.

But… is there that much poop? Apperantly. There are no official figures, but the estimates used give an idea of ​​the seriousness of the problem. The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) organization, which is responsible for waste management in the Khumbu region, estimates that there could be around three tonnes of feces between the first site at the foot of Everest and the fourth site near the summit. half is on the South Col. Other accounts collected in recent years speak of up to 12 tons of manure per year, or eight tons of manure accumulated in two fields in a single season.

Neither new nor easy. It is clear that the problem is not new. And so far the authorities have not been able to solve this problem. After analyzing the problem, Grinell College reported in 2014 that “up to 26,500 pounds (about 12,000 kilograms) of human feces pollute Everest each climbing season, much of it bagged by local Sherpas and transported to earthen pits near Gorak Shep, a frozen lake.” A village at an altitude of 16,952 feet.”

Already in 2014, the agency had warned: “Area is decreasing and fecal coliform bacteria are threatening the nearby Khumbu glacier basin.”

Better bags than holes. That seems to be the conclusion of officials in the Nepalese region, who will now require climbers to descend the mountain with an extra load: the load of feces they leave behind throughout their expeditions. Since the holes do not seem to have solved the problem, those responsible will force climbers to carry special biodegradable bags in which they will have to collect their feces.

Therefore, bagged and perfectly sealed, they will then need to be left at base camp so they can be processed properly.

“Checked on return”. Not many details have emerged at the moment about how authorities plan to implement their new strategy and, most importantly, how they will control visitors to comply; but they shifted some keys. The BBC reported in February that the SPCC – with the approval of Pasang Lhamu officials – had purchased 8,000 special bags filled with chemicals and powders that help solidify the feces and reduce its odor. According to their calculations, it would be enough for 400 climbers and 800 workers.

“We want to provide them with two bags that they can use five to six times each,” says SPCC’s Chhiring Sherpa. The British chain also says climbers may have to buy the bags at base camp, where they will be “checked on return.” Considering that each climber produces an average of around 250 grams of feces per day and that they usually spend two weeks at the highest camps, it will not be easy to avoid this precaution.

permanent standard. The new rule will be implemented at the beginning of the season and permanently as a new rule that climbers must comply with. “They distribute it to all the climbers and Sherpas. You use these bags at Camp I, Camp III and Camp IV or wherever you need to go… Then I realize everything is collected and picked up at Camp II.” “on a plane” he commented Guardian Allan Cohr, a mountaineer who organizes mountain trips: “They say they will check the luggage, but I don’t know if they do.”

“Our mountains are starting to smell”. This is the situation the authorities in the region are now in, and this is what they want to change by resorting to stool bags. Pasang Lhamu mayor Migma Sherpa said, “We have been receiving complaints that human feces have been seen on the rocks and some climbers have fallen ill. This is unacceptable and is eroding our image.”

It’s not just the preservation of Everest and its beautiful image that’s at stake. As author Grayson Schaffer warned in a 2012 article, tons of waste directly impacts climbers. Washington Post: “You have a sewer problem […]. The summit has become a ticking time bomb, and disorder is slowly creeping towards the base camp.” In the same article, I commented that at that time there were already climbers at Camp II who refused to even boil snow to obtain water. The reason: fear that even boiling would not kill germs.

Pictures | Guillaume Baviere (Flickr) and Mário Simoes (Flickr)

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