Nepal considers shifting Mt. Qomolangma base camp

Nepal's government is considering relocating the base camp of Mt. Qomolangma, the world's highest mountain, as increasing human activities in the area have contributed to a rapid melt of ice, officials said on Friday.

"The discussions regarding shifting the base camp have started," Surya Prasad Upadhyay, information officer at the Department of Tourism, told Xinhua. "No decision on moving the base camp has been taken yet."

Every year, hundreds of climbers from around the world assemble at the base camp, located at 5,364m on the Khumbu Glacier, with a view to standing on top of the world.

The climbers have experienced growing changes around the base camp, since they have been able to collect water directly in recent years, instead of collecting ice to boil in huge pots to make water.

Officials at the Tourism Department said that internal discussions have been ongoing after a task force was formed to explore better ways of organizing the expeditions. A member of the task force told Xinhua that they have submitted a draft of recommendations to the department suggesting moving the base camp a little below its current location.

Bhisma Raj Bhattarai, a section officer at the department, said growing human activities, including cooking at the base camp, have contributed to a warming environment on the 8848.86-meter-high Mt. Qomolangma that straddles Nepal and China.

"Melting snow has also put human lives at more risk," he added.

Khim Lal Gautam, member secretary of the task force, said they also suggested moving the base camp to another location to avoid direct contact between humans and the Khumbu Glacier.

Gautam, who ascended Mt. Qomolangma in 2011 and 2019 as a surveyor to measure the height of the peak, said climate change is remaking the entire landscape of the region.