By Purushottam P. Khatri
Kathmandu, Apr. 23: With the aim of promoting mountain economy and maintaining ecological balance, the government of Nepal and Nepal Army (NA) headquarters have jointly launched a month-long ‘Clean Mountain’ national campaign.
Under the campaign, the NA will take a leading role in cleaning a total of six mountains: Mount Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Dhaulagiri, Pumori and Ama Dablam.
The team has already reached the sites and the clean-up campaign has started, said Brigadier General and spokesperson for Nepali Army Headquarters Shantosh Ballave Poudyal.
"NA, which owns up the ultimate responsibility for national security, nature conservation, as well as building challenging infrastructures, is now focusing on the campaign,” said Poudyal.
Chief of the Army Staff (CoAS) General Purna Chandra Thapa had last week inaugurated the campaign by handing over the campaign banner.
Trained army personnel, Sherpas and others from civilian background, have been mobilised under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel in each mountain.
Poudyal said that the campaign was also listed in the 'Command Guidelines-2019' of the Army Chief since he assumed responsibility for the post. Last year, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the campaign, which was first launched in 2019, was postponed.
"From the campaign, run under the slogan of 'Save the Mountain for the Future', 35 tonnes of garbage will be collected and then be managed," Poudyal said, adding, “Out of 35 tonnes, the team will collect 18 tonnes from the Mt. Everest alone.”
Garbage thus collected will later be brought to Kathmandu by air and road.
Bishwanath Oli, former secretary at the Ministry of Forest and Environment, told The Rising Nepal that the programme was the initiative of the Ministry and it would get continuity in coming years as the government was contemplating to include it under its policies and programmes.
There’s no doubt that the campaign helps in controlling environmental degradation, which in turn will help in conserving the mountain range, the water source of South Asia.
"Army Headquarters believes that the campaign will contribute towards sustainable environment while also mitigating the risk of climate change, as well as maintaining ecological balance," Poudyal said.
Aditya Karki, Colonel and coordinator of the campaign, said the army had prepared a trained team of 127 forces -- 43 from the army, 56 from the Sherpa community and the rest from other backgrounds. According to Karki, the campaign has also received technical support from over a dozen government agencies like Department of Tourism, Department of Environment, Directorate of National Parks and Wildlife Reserve and various private and non-governmental organisations.
It is stated that Rs. 125.57 million will be spent on this campaign.
In 2019, the team had collected about 10 tonnes of garbage and retrieved four bodies from different mountains.