Everest gets spring clean-up
Print Edition
A huge clean-up campaign has been launched by the Tibet Autonomous Region, southwest China, to remove waste and debris left by hikers at campsites near Mount Everest.
The nine-day clean-up across the mountain, also known as Mount Qomolangma, began last week. The campsites in question are at altitudes between 5,200 and 6,500 meters on the north side of the world’s highest mountain above sea level.
Nyima Cering, deputy director of Tibet sports administration, said it was the first time the administration had worked with Tingri County government, Xigaze Prefecture, on such a campaign.
Cering said that heightened human activity had left unacceptable levels of garbage on the “Roof of the World.”
Chinese and foreign volunteers collected four tons of rubbish in the first five days.
The Tibet government is planning to install sorting, recycling and degradation stations at the camping areas as a result of the increase in waste at the historic site. About 60,000 people visit the north face of Mount Qomolangma every year. In their wake, they leave tin cans, plastic bags, stove equipment, discarded tents, oxygen tanks and mountain climbing paraphernalia.
Kari Kobler, president of Swiss firm Kobler, was one of the volunteers.
“I have climbed the mountain many times over the past 17 years,” said the 62-year-old climbing enthusiast, who lauded the clean-up campaign as a sign of China’s increased environmental awareness.
Cering added the Tibetan government had been exploring waste disposal systems that would be suitable for the high altitude in the hope of addressing the negative effect of human activity on the environment.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
