Chinese team to clean Everest

June 8, 2004
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KATHMANDU:  A group of Chinese environmentalists intend to clean up the slopes of Mount Everest and remove the junk accumulated there from decades of expeditions.

According to a Chinese daily, about 100 volunteers plan to climb the peak and remove as much rubbish as possible. The expedition will concentrate on cleaning up the high altitudes, particularly around 6,500 meters from the sea level. Ever since the mountain was opened for mountaineering, over 600 tons of waste have been left behind by climbers.

“The garbage is creating ecological problems on the mountain,” said the state media quoting Gao Dengyi, President of the China Association for Scientific Expedition.

There were only 15 Everest expeditions, between 1921 and 1960, consisting of around 20 people each. Nowadays, more than 20,000 people visit the region every year, thus leading to a potential ecological disaster.