Nepal Army cleanup expedition retrieves two bodies from Mount Everest
Nepal Army leads a team of climbers to clean up the mountain every spring season, which aims to bring down the dead bodies and trashes from the slope of Mount Everest as well as other eight-thousanders.
A Nepal Army expedition comprising Army personnel and Sherpas has retrieved two dead bodies from Mount Everest. Khimlal Gautam, Chief of the Expedition Monitoring and Facilitation Field Office at the base camp, said that the NA-led team returned with two bodies along with trash from various camps on the world's highest peak.
“The bodies were taken to Kathmandu on Thursday,” said Gautam.
According to the Nepal Army, one body was found on Mount Everest, while another body was found on Mount Lhotse. The bodies, along with some skeletons found during the cleaning campaigns, were handed over to the forensic lab of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu. The NA team also collected 8,620 kilograms of waste left by climbers on the mountains.
The NA has sent a 12-member cleaning team from the Nepal Army, led by Major Aditya Karki, to clean up Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse. Before the expedition, NA officials announced the cleanup campaign aims to retrieve five bodies and 10 tons of trash from Everest.
The NA initiated the cleanup campaign in 2019 and has been sending a cleanup team to Everest and other peaks almost every year. They have already collected nearly 75 tons of solid waste so far.
The real extent of pollution remains unknown, but there is an estimated 140 tons of material, 40 tons of human waste, and several mortal remains of climbers in the Mount Everest region, according to government estimates.
The waste mainly includes trash left by mountaineers and trekkers, such as plastic bags, oxygen cylinders, stoves, water bottles, tents, clothes, ropes, batteries, cans, and glass. There are an estimated 300 dead bodies of climbers above base camp, many buried deep in snow.
Recent cleanup efforts, including those led by the Nepali Army (NA), alongside ongoing initiatives from environmental agencies, have made strides in addressing waste issues at Mount Everest's base camp and lower elevations. However, challenges persist at higher altitudes.
Despite the NA's assertions of progress in mountain cleanup, Sherpa climbers and guides have expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the army's involvement. They criticize the NA for allegedly mismanaging resources and failing to adequately address the problem.
Prior to the NA's involvement in the cleanup campaign, Sherpa guides had advocated for high-altitude climbers to lead the efforts. According to Kami Rita Sherpa, who holds the record for the most Everest summits at 29, Sherpas possess specialized knowledge of mountain environments and should have been entrusted with the cleanup task.
"In the same way the Army specializes in warfare, Sherpas specialize in mountains. If the government truly wanted to tackle pollution, they should have enlisted our expertise," Kami Rita told Everest Chronicle in one interview. He questioned the NA's capacity to handle cleanup operations in remote, high-altitude areas, emphasizing the need for skilled personnel in such environments.
Normal expedition resumes
Normal expeditions have resumed after stalling for two days due to harsh weather conditions, a period marked by the jet stream when only two summits were recorded. According to DoT officials, a total of nine climbers, including five Sherpas from the Seven Summit Club, summited Everest at 7:22 on Friday.
