Nepal planning relocation of Everest base camp due to global warming

Nepal is debating the relocation of the Everest base camp due to increasing human activity and the global warming threat that is making it unsafe.

But officials said that no decision has been made so far.

Tourism Department Director Surya Prasad Upadhyaya said that the issue of relocation of Everest base camp is under discussion but no decision has been taken so far.

"There was some buzz about it but no decision has been taken and it is under consideration".

According to some media reports, due to the looming threat of climate change and increasing human behavior, the government of Nepal is planning to relocate the Everest base camp from 200 to 400 meters lower than the present one. The current base camp is located 5,400 meters where every year over 1,500 people gather and live in temporary makeshift camps for weeks during the spring climbing seasons. The base camp was first established and recognized in 1950.

According to the BBC, a new site is to be found at a lower altitude, where there is no year-round ice as researchers say melt-water destabilizes the glacier, and climbers say crevasses are increasingly appearing at base camp while they sleep.

"We are now preparing for the relocation and we will soon begin consultation with all stakeholders," Nepal Tourism Department's Director-General Taranath Adhikari told the BBC.

"It is basically about adapting to the changes we are seeing at the base camp and it has become essential for the sustainability of the mountaineering business itself."

The current base camp is in the Khumbu region where one active glacier is located.

The Khumbu glacier, like many other glaciers in the Himalayas, is rapidly melting and thinning in the wake of global warming, scientists have found.

The Khumbu Icefall stretches from 5,500 to 5,800 meters and lies just above the Everest base camp, where hundreds of climbers set temporary tents annually during the spring climbing season. The first challenge for every climber is to tackle the deadly Icefall.

To date, the Khumbu Icefall is considered one of the most dangerous climbing spots in the world.

Nepal Mountaineering Association President Santa Bir Lama told IANS that there is no plan to relocate the Everest base camp as reported by the media.

Sometimes when ice falls happen, the people in the base camp shift to secured places which is natural but shifting the base camp entirely is not possible, he said.

" Where do we create the new base camp after relocating the present one Already climbers, posters, and their support staff do shift their makeshift camp if ice fall happens. There can be minor shifts during the heavy icefall but it is not true that the entire base camp will be shifted. It is not possible too," said Lama. (AA/IANS)