Human Waste in the Himalayas Dawa Steven Sherpa Exit Strategies Conference 2010 Sustainable Summits Initiative

1. Human Waste Management
in the Himalayas
Dawa Steven Sherpa

2. Solid Waste Problems in Nepal
Primarily an urban problem but
growing due to rising
urbanization.
In Kathmandu there is only one
waste water treatment plant, and
that only functions partially
Traditionally, urban homes used
to store solid waste and sell it as
fertilizer
Rural settlements still use solid
waste as fertilizer

3. Himalayan Biodiversity
The Himalayas cover three
fourths of the land in Nepal
Home for many species of flora
and fauna
118 species of birds and 26
species of butterflies are found
just in the Sagarmatha National
Park
These include endangered
animals like musk deer, wild
yak, red panda, snow leopard
and Himalayan black bear

4. Tourism
- Government generates revenue from mountain royalties and services
- Local businesses and economies benefit from Mountaineering and
Tourism
Employment generation
Water source for drinking, irrigation and industry
Hydropower
Instant recognition around the world
Timber and non-timber forest products
Economic Benefits of the
Himalayas to the people of Nepal

5. Impacts of human activities in
the Himalayan Region
Mountaineering Expeditions
and Trekking Groups have
in the past left a huge
amount of waste on the
mountains
Garbage and human waste
not only destroy the beauty
of the mountains but also
deteriorate the mountain
environment
Drinking water sources have
been contaminated due to
seepage

6. The SPCC
The Sagarmatha Pollution Control
Committee (SPCC) is an NGO that is
run entirely by the locals in the
Everest region
They are authorized by the
Government of Nepal to collect fees
for rope and ladder fixing on the
Everest Icefall route
The funds saved from route fixing are
used to keep the Everest region
clean

7. The SPCC is responsible for
monitoring and enforcing the
use of blue barrels at base
camp
60 Rupees (85 cents) is
charged per kilo
The human waste is buried in a
pit near Gorakshep
The SPCC’s work at Everest
Base Camp
HOWEVER, no regulations nor infrastructure exists to
remove human waste above base camp

8. Eco Everest Expeditions
Activities
– Take the climate change
message to the top of Mt.
Everest
– Be a model of an eco-
sensitive climbing
expedition, including
garbage clean-ups and
human waste removal
Creating international awareness about the impact of climate
change on the Himalayas and the mountain communities since
2008

9. Collect, bring down and properly dispose of garbage and
debris generated by the Eco Everest Expedition and from
previous expeditions
Effectively manage the containment and removal of human
waste from the mountain produced during the Eco Everest
Expedition
Encourage Expeditions to use toilet bags and CMCs for
managing human waste
Human Waste Management
Goals

10. Keeps in the odour as well as the
waste providing a user-friendly
and convenient means to pack
out solid waste
After use, the bags are sealed
and stored
Each climber is responsible to
bring their own bag back down
At Base Camp, the bags are
dumped in a blue barrel and the
SPCC carries them off to a pit
These are becoming very popular
RESTOP BAGS

11. Clean Mountain Can (CMC)
Thanks to Roger for sponsoring the
use of 3 CMCs in 2008
The CMC is a plastic bucket with a
lid that can be tightly sealed and is
used like a regular western toilet
CMCs are too bulky and heavy to
be taken above Camp 2 (6500m)

12. The Benefits of Managing
Waste to the Climbing Party
Safety and Convenience
Quality ServiceClean Drinking Water

13. At Base Camp the human waste is collected by the SPCC
and transported off the glacier to Gorakshep for proper
disposal
Left in the open, it takes more than 3 years for the waste to
decompose. Packed in the plastics bags it will take longer
An effort needs to be made to open these bags once in the
pit to allow for faster decomposition
Silver bags are found thrown in crevasses and littering the
camps. Better briefing needs to be provided.
Problems still needing to be
addressed

14. Eco Everest Expedition 2008
• 965 Kgs of garbage brought down from Mt. Everest
and its Base Camp
• Approx 75 Kgs of human waste properly disposed of
• Supported by ICIMOD, UNEP

15. Eco Everest Expedition 2009
“CASH FOR TRASH” program
• A program which offered cash
in exchange of garbage to
Sherpas who brought down
garbage from Mt. Everest
• 6000 Kgs of garbage brought
down including wreckage
parts of Italian Army
Helicopter crashed in 1973
between Camp I and C II
• Approx. 115 Kgs of human
waste properly disposed of

16. Eco Everest Expedition 2010
CASH FOR TRASH
• Invited and involved all
Sherpas and climbers
for this “Cash for
Trash” program
• Eco Everest Expedition 2010
collected 4805 Kgs of
Garbage from higher altitude
• Supplied other expeditions
at Everest base camp with
Restop Bags

17. Base Camp Bakery
Provides a great point of
contact to disseminate
information and raise funds for
local projects
Provide toilets for the trekkers
visiting Base Camp

18. The Future of Managing Human
Waste in the Nepal Himalaya
NMA will be distributing free waste bags at the time of
permit issuance
NMA together with the SPCC are maintaining public
toilets in the Everest Region
New NMA information boards will contain information on
safe disposal of human waste

19. The Future of Managing Human
Waste in the Nepal Himalaya
NMA has asked permission from the Department of
National Parks to build new public toilets on the busy
trails
Proposed to build Bakery - SPCC will receive all profits
for their activities
The Ministry of Tourism is very keen to make the use of
human waste bags mandatory on all expedition peaks

20. Conclusion
Management of human waste is one of the easiest ways in
which people can help in the preservation of the mountain
environment
Education detailing proper waste management techniques
for climbers, trekkers and local people
New waste disposal projects to be implement
Enforcement of baseline sanitation standards by local
authorities

21. THANK YOU