Nepali Army successfully completes halfway mark of MCC

The waste collection form six different mountains in Nepal is part of the ongoing Mountain Cleaning Campaign 2021, a Nepal Government program coordinated by the Nepali Army with the support of Coca-Cola and other various organizations; aims to retrieve over 35,000 kg of waste from the Himalayas. Kathmandu, 17thMay 2021- The Mountain Cleaning Campaign 2021,a Nepal Government program coordinated by the Nepali Army has successfully concluded the halfway mark of waste collection from all six mountains including the Mount Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Dhaulagiri, Pumori and Ama Dablam. The expediting team consists of total 112 members comprising of experienced Sherpas as supporters and the Nepali Army. The campaign formally commenced on April 13th2021 and has so far collected 21,167 Kg of waste all together from the six mountains, which includes 1,868 Kg of Bio-degradable and 19,299 Kg of Non-Bio-degradable. The waste collected by the team include discarded empty oxygen canisters, abandoned tents, food containers, plastics, glass, aluminum, electronic waste among others. Furthermore, a helicopter wreckage numbered 9N-ACR and two human remains with mountaineering gears from two different locations were also retrieved by Dhaulagiri team and a further investigation has been initiated for the identification and management of the dead. Speaking on the ongoing clean-up campaign, Lt Col Dipak Bhandari, Media Coordinator, Mountain Cleaning Campaign 2021 shared, “The teams deployed in the campaign with the objective of cleaning the six mountains are dedicatedly collecting waste materials in close coordination with the local government. The journey in the mountains are definitely strenuous and at the same time, our team is humbled to be part of the noble campaign and determined to retrieve as much waste as we can.” The Mountain Cleaning Campaign is aimed at conserving the nature and environment of the Himalayas, and minimizing the effects of climate change by cleaning up the targeted six mountains. The teams are working in close coordination with the local government, local stakeholders and all the concerned partners. Upon completion of the waste collection activities, the waste collected will be handed over to the recycling partner for further recycling. Dr. Dhananjay Regmi, CEO of Nepal Tourism Board, “Climbing mountains is one of the greatest sport to many Nepalis and foreigners and many have conquered them. At the same time, it is our responsibility to honor and preserve the Himalayas for our future generations. It is very humbling to see the Nepal Government, the Nepali Army and so many other private partners come together and strive to protect the Himalayas.”