The Supreme Court of Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 10 largest peaks, has ordered the government to limit the number of permits for climbers planning expeditions ahead of the spring season.
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The court also provided for measures for waste disposal and storage of the mountain environment. France 24 reports this.
The corresponding court decision was made at the end of April. The full text of the decision is not yet available, and a summary of it was published only this week.
In this way, the court responded to public concerns regarding Nepal’s mountains and its environment.
The decision states that the potential of the mountains “must be respected” and an appropriate maximum number of climbing permits must be determined.
Nepal now issues permits to climb Everest, the world’s highest peak at 8,850 meters above sea level, to anyone who applies and is willing to pay $11,000. As a result:
- last year the country issued 478 permits for Everest, a record high;
- Nepal has issued permits to 945 climbers to climb its mountains this year, including 403 for Everest;
- in 2019, a huge human traffic jam on Everest forced teams of climbers to wait hours for the summit in sub-zero temperatures, risking depleted oxygen levels that could lead to illness and exhaustion. At least four of the 11 deaths at the top that year were due to overcrowding.
The court’s decision also limits the use of helicopters to emergency rescue work only – helicopters have been frequently used in recent years to transport mountaineering teams to base camps and due to dangerous terrain.
The Nepal Mountaineering Association notes that it is not yet clear how this court decision will affect the industry. In particular, it is not yet known on what basis the limits will be set and how they will be distributed among forwarding operators.
Source: France 24
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I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.