Kathmandu: The Nepal government has started consultations with the concerned stakeholders to shift the Mount Everest Base Camp as authorities deem the existing location perilous due to global warming and human activity.
According to the Department of Tourism, the government is preparing to construct a base camp in a lower altitude than the current location. The existing base camp is situated at an altitude of 5,364 meters near the Khumbu Glacier.
The base camp is deemed unsafe due to rapid melting of the glacier. Preparations are underway to relocate the base camp citing insecurity due to rising temperatures and human activity in the area where over 1,500 people gather during the peak climbing season.
Director General of the Department of Tourism Taranath Adhikari said that they are preparing to consult with all parties on relocating the base camp. He said that a decision will be taken on the location of the base camp after conducting necessary studies.
“The base camp is bearing the brunt of rising temperatures and human activities. We are preparing to consult with the concerned stakeholders on the issue of shifting the base camp,” said Adhikari.
Impact of climate change
Glaciers in the Himalayas contribute significantly to water resources for millions of people in South Asia. Researchers in Nepal warned in February that the highest glacier on Mount Everest could vanish by the middle of this century, as the 2,000-year-old ice sheet on the world’s tallest mountain is shrinking at an alarming rate.
According to a recent research report, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) here, Everest has been losing ice dramatically since the late 1990s.
According to the ICIMOD, the Everest Expedition, the most thorough Scientific Expedition to Everest, produced ground-breaking research on glaciers and the alpine environment. According to a recent paper published in the Nature Portfolio journal, the ice atop Everest has been melting.
Hari Budha Magar, a former British Gurkha soldier who had reached the Everest Base Camp only a few weeks ago welcomed the decision of the Government of Nepal to relocate the base camp.
Talking to Nepal Live Today, Magar, who is the first double amputee to reach Everest Base Camp, said that problems have occurred due to dumping of garbage in the Everest region and the policy of the Government of Nepal on mountaineering apart from climate change.
Magar who is preparing to set another record by climbing Mt Everest next year also said that he would try to create a global public opinion about the impact of climate change in the Himalayan region.
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