NE - China's Highway to Mt Everest Base Camp - disaster in the making

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*Road to Mt Everest

*

 

http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php? & nid=119844

 

By Dr Trilochan Urpeti

 

China has a strong plan to construct a road up to the base camp of Mt

Everest. This has been a cause for anxiety for the entire countries of this

region. The anxiety is twofold --- environmental and ecological disaster and

its impact in the region and the adverse effect of such a venture on the

tourism sector. Have the environmentalists, whether under the name of

Greens, Friends of the Earth or others, shown their extremely serious

concern on the project's adverse effect upon the overall environment and

ecology?

 

The road to Mt Everest is symbolic of the present government's soaring

ambition and China will stop at nothing to prove a point to the watching

world as a run-up to the Beijing Olympics in 2008. The track of that road,

in fact, was constructed a couple of years earlier and it is understood that

considering the Olympic Games to be held in China in 2008, the road is to be

blacktopped so as to enable the Olympic torch to be transported up to the

base camp of Mt Everest.

 

China, once having declared its plan and program, is reputed to complete

such projects in less than the prescribed time. This has been demonstrated

even in the case of a mammoth project like the Three Gorges project or the

Lhasa Railway. Each of them was completed earlier than the planned time.

Mandip Singh Soni from India has visited and seen the project. Accordingly,

he has clearly noticed a road going up to the base camp. It was not yet

metalled but was good enough for mini-buses, cars, and horse carts to ply

on.

 

In fact, four kilometers short of the base camp is a house cart stand. A

road up to the base camp of Everest would mean a flux of tourists and

commercial activities, thereby posing a threat to the environment.

 

Himalayas' geology and ecology is vulnerable and also very young. This means

that construction works, use of road materials, drilling, digging, explosion

etc will seriously damage the environment and undermine the sanctity of the

Himalaya. Such actions will contribute to soil erosion, depletion of

Himalayan flora and fauna and damage the ecology of the region. The number

of tourists visiting the base camp via a vehicle would increase immensely.

Such huge numbers would stress the Himalayan environment and render it

incapable of coping with the resulting pressures on it.

 

Nepal, which is just getting a slight relief from the decade-long violent

conflict has seriously wounded its economy and, particularly, the tourism

sector. Our major foreign currency earning sector is tourism, particularly

trekking and expedition to the mountains including Mt Everest. If the

highway to the lap of Mt Everest is constructed, then the trekking and

expedition of the Himalayas from Nepal would be diverted to China, thereby

ending Nepal's tourism prospects in the area. That could also sound a death

knell to the vulnerable Nepali economy.

 

Nepal should strive to persuade to shield itself from the adverse impact of

the so-called highway to Mt Everest on its tourism and overall economy as

well. Millions of Nepalis are directly or indirectly involved in this

sector, from the trekker, climber, guide and porter to the hotel and

restaurant owner and a host of other people. Our domestic airlines as well

as international airlines that fly to and from Kathamandu could also be

closed by this Chinese project, which means irreparable damage and disaster

on the Nepali economy and people's livelihood.

 

The environmental and ecological damages arising from such highway

construction would be very dangerous and irreparable. There would be other

infrastructure projects, such as hotel, restaurants, grocery shops,

hospital, schools, market places etc, which will cause serious damage to the

mountain ecology and vulnerable landscape. People, who like to go on

adventure tourism, would normally wish to have one chance to be in Mt

Everest base camp. Even physically handicapped people would love to take

advantage of such an opportunity in their life. This is considered a golden

opportunity to everyone, particularly, to the people of developed countries,

who have the money and desire to experience this wonderful opportunity to

reach the base of Everest. Even the activities of trekking and expeditions

to the base camp of Mt Everest from Nepal's side are alleged to have caused

serious pollution of the Everest area, according to Friends of the Earth and

other environmentalists.

 

For example, Edmund Hillary, along with other mountain lovers, has asked

both Nepal and China to give a respite to Mt Everest for at least one decade

so as to maintain and preserve the Himalayan ecology and environment.

Bringing millions of people to the base camp would be tantamount to invading

the Himalayas by human beings, which would explicitly cause detrimental

effects and the outcome of such adverse effects to the Hindukush Himalaya

would be disastrous. Therefore, it is high time the concerned governments

engaged in serious negotiation with China and sorted out the serious problem

of impending pollution and damage of the Himalayan area.

 

Otherwise, only regret and self pity would remain for the governments and

peoples of this region.

 

One wonders to find out why even Singapore, the island country which is

smaller than the tiniest of our districts and possessing little natural

beauty, has been able to attract millions of tourists. Despite being the

world's most popular destination with extraordinary natural gifts, such as

mountain-peaks, hills, rivers, jungles, wild lives, flora and fauna, the

number of tourists in this country is less than four hundred thousand. The

answer to this " why " is very simple and obvious - mismanagement, inability

to tap our tourism potential, lack of peace, security and inefficiency of

the government and the tourism entrepreneurs as well. Most of us should be

held accountable for this failure.

 

This, however, is one of the most wonderful areas, to be developed and

harnessed prudently. Nepal's rapid and radical economic development, which

is the only ambition and aspiration of our people, could then come true.

 

However, we must learn from Switzerland, Tibet, among others, and should be

honest, transparent and efficient. Tourism is vulnerable to even a small

friction. It is potentially a major area for our economy, employment and

livelihood. Therefore, any detrimental activities over this area should not

take place at all.

 

 

--

Lucia de Vries

Freelance Journalist

Bagdol, Patan, Nepal

Wijk 4-47, 8321 GE Urk, Holland