Nepal: Fewer Everest climbers

Nepal’s Supreme Court has ordered the government to limit the number of permits issued to climb Everest and other Himalayan peaks, a lawyer who filed the petition told AFP.

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“He ordered to limit the number of climbers,” said Deepak Bikram Mishra, the world’s highest mountain at 8,850 meters above sea level, as the country’s spring climbing season begins.

Nepal currently offers permits to climb Mount Everest to anyone willing to pay $11,000. Last year a record 478 people were awarded.

The Supreme Court ruled that the bearing capacity of the hills should be “considered” and adequate maximum clearances should be determined.

The ruling by Nepal’s Supreme Court was handed down in late April, but the summary was only made public this week.

Deepak Bikram Mishra told AFP that the court responded to people’s concerns about protecting nature in Nepal, which has 8 of the 10 highest peaks on Earth.

Besides controlling the number of trekkers, he also suggested “measures for waste management and environmental protection” in the mountain areas, this lawyer asserted.

Every spring, when the temperature is low and the wind is generally weak, Nepal welcomes hundreds of people in search of adventure to its mountains.

A massive human traffic jam on Everest in 2019 forced members of the expedition to wait hours on Everest in sub-zero temperatures.

At least four of the 11 deaths recorded that year were attributed to overcrowding.

Deepak Bikram Mishra said, “We are putting too much pressure on the mountain and it needs a little breather.