PROJECT NEWS 

Distribution of reusable cloth bags

To raise awareness on harmful effects of plastics on environment and personal health, Eco Himal “Saving Mount Everest – Waste Management Project” in coordination with Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), women’s group, youth group, Goumpa management committee has distributed reusable cloth bags in different villages including Namche, Khumjung, Khunde, Thamo, Thame, Phurte. These bags are produced in Kathmandu with long lasting clothes, which is expected to last several years with regular use. Size and design of these particular bags are finalized with local people’s requirement.

Along with distribution of reusable cloth bags, awareness on importance of local’s contribution toward proper waste management system concept of waste segregation, etc. was explained to the villagers. Participants were encouraged to use only reusable cloth bags for their weekly shopping. Due to good material, attractive size and encouragement from the project, the people are seen carrying this bag in every occasion, while the demand was so high that more bags had to be produced to meet the demands. One bag was provided to one household but to those who participates in the workshop or trainings.

Public toilets along trekking trails

Apart from having many lodges and restaurants along the trail in Mt Everest region, there is not enough public toilet facility for tourist, local traveler and porters. The porters are enforced to defecate openly as they do not stay in lodges or eat at any of the larger lodges. With the objective of keeping the whole region clean by providing sanitation facility for tourist, locals and porters, Eco Himal “Saving Mount Everest – Waste Management Project”  in cooperation with Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) constructed three modern public toilets along the trekking trail.

Toilets in Top Danda (First Everest View point) and in Meshulung by the police check point before reaching Namche have been completed. The sites are chosen, as large numbers of trekkers and mountaineers during peak season rest at Top Danda after ascending uphill from Larcha Bridge. This is a place where visitors enjoy the view of Mount Everest and other high peaks while taking a good rest after the long climb. Another one is at t he check post where visitors have to wait to register their entry.

These modern toilets have two rooms. One room is for paying clients that is well equipped wash basin and other room is for free. The fee is charged to maintain the toilets clean and for its sustainability, while the free one is to encourage the porters to use the toilet. Water for the toilet, for people to drink or for washing is brought through pipeline from nearby sources. Construction of these modern human waste facilities is expected to maintain cleaner environment and hygienic behavior for tourists, local travelers and porters.

Recycling of waste

Packaged cardboard, stationery paper, metals, aluminum, textile are common waste in the Everest Region. Study revealed that 22% of total waste composition is only paper and cardboard, whereas 13% metal and textile (Vienna University of Technology, 2011). There were no feasible alternative to manage these wastes, other than burn, incinerate or dump in the pits.

To introduce modern and systematic waste management system in Khumbu and to promote 3R concept, Eco Himal “Saving Mount Everest - Waste Management Project” has initiated paper and aluminum recycling program in the region. Selected people from the region were brought to Kathmandu, where they received special trainings both in Aluminum and paper recycling techniques. These people have been training the interested local people and the program is still ongoing. These training programs were organized in coordination with Khumbu Multipurpose Cooperative Pvt. Ltd and Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee.

To bring this into reality, production of aluminum souvenir in Namche has already begun in a rented house. An open space near the Namche waste storage house is under consideration to build a paper recycling house. The paper briquette making machines are manual that is time consuming, hard labor work and low production. Therefore, electrically run machines that produce briquettes in large numbers without hard labor work is under discussion with technical institutes in Kathmandu.

Clean-Up in Chorkang village

Chorkang is a small settlement in north-west of Namche Bazar, mostly occupied migrants for local tea shops and basic supply shops. People from this settlement have been dumping their waste in the incinerator plant constructed by Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) but some of the families just dump the wastes along the hill slope. To control such illegal activities and to make people responsible towards their waste, one day cleanup program and reformation of waste management committee was conducted jointly by Eco Himal, Saving Mount Everest - Waste Management Project and SPCC in coordination with locals in Chorkang. During this awareness workshop and cleanup program, locals actively collected the burnable and non burnable waste scattered in the surroundings. Secondly, locals segregate unsystematically dropped waste around the incinerator plant at Chorkang. Burnable waste was burned systematically and the non burnable were segregated and handed over to SPCC for further management.  

Photo Exhibition Saving Mount Everest Project

The Saving Mount Everest Projekt in pictures - an exhibition in the Pokhara International Mountain Museum, Nepal . The exhibition starts 8 May 2013. For more information visit http://everest.martinedstrom.com/.

A new incinerator for Namche Bazar

In line with the Saving Mount Everest Project, a custom built incinerator has been transported to Namche Bazar in the Sagarmatha National Park. The environmentally friendly technology has been developed by EvK2CNR, an italian partnerorganisation of EcoHimal at the project.

Read more about this in the report.