Nepal Says Human Feces and Waste are Destroying Mount Everest

The chief of Nepal's mountaineering association, Ang Tshering, told reporters that the human waste left behind by climbers on Mount Everest has become a problem that causes pollution and could easily spread disease.

The Guardian reported that every climbing season, more than 700 climbers and their guides spend almost two months on the slopes of Everest, which leaves the world's highest mountain covered with a lot of feces and urine!

Tshering said in order to keep the mountain pristine, the local government needs to step in and take action so the climbers can dispose of their waste properly.

Every year, during the climbing season, adventurers from all over the world come to Nepal to climb Mount Everest, but it is not fit for everybody. The journey takes weeks before they even reach the peak. During the climb, climbers and guides set camps around four designated areas. The camps offer tents and some essential equipment for climbers, but not toilets.

Tshering said "climbers usually dig holes in the snow for their toilet use and leave the human waste there." He also added that the waste has been accumulating around those four designated areas for years.

The leader of the Everest cleanup expeditions, Dawa Steven Sherpa, noted that to use toilets in higher camps, some climbers have disposable travel toilet bags with them. "It is a health hazard and the issue needs to be addressed," he said.

The Nepali government, although not radical enough, seems to be taking action about the growing health concern. Raj Katuwal, the head of the department responsible for overseeing Nepal's mountain tourism, has said that the government will take more precautions in order to control the amount of garbage that accumulates on Nepal's formerly pristine peaks.