Human waste plagues Everest
Increasing number of mountaineering expeditions is good news for the tourism industry. However, due to inefficient human waste management, such expeditions invariably end up contributing to a "waste dumping yard" at the highest peak of the world. Ang Tshering Sherpa, president of Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) said the mountain environment is threatened by the problem of human waste due to lack of proper management. "When the snow melts at higher altitudes, the smell of human waste including that of urine becomes intolerable," he said.