Nepal shelves plan to relocate Everest base camp even as threats rise due to climate change

The Nepalese government has shelved plans to move the Everest base camp to a lower site due to widespread opposition from the mountaineering and Sherpa community, BBC reported.  Earlier it was reported that human activity and climate change were making the south base camp unsafe for climbers as the site sits on the rapidly thinning Khumbu glacier. 

Massive opposition from the Sherpa community

The current Everest base sits at an altitude of 5,364 metres. The authorities wanted to move the base 200 to 400 metres lower down the world’s highest mountain. However, Sherpa leaders say that the plan is not only impractical, but the authorities haven't been able to find a viable alternative as well. Mingma Sherpa, chair of Khumbu Pasanglhamu, was quoted by BBC as saying, "I have come across not even a single person in our community who supports the idea of moving the Everest base camp."

He further added, “It has been there for the past 70 years, why should they move it now? And even if they wanted to, where is the study on a viable alternative?"

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According to officials from Nepal’s Tourism Ministry and Nepal Mountaineering Association, more than 95 per cent of attendees rejected the idea of relocating the Everest base camp in a recent consultation meeting held between the authorities and the mountaineering industry.

Growing risk at the current site

Thanks to climate change, the Khumbu glacier is rapidly melting, making the site dangerous for climbers. Several studies have shown that lakes and ponds on the glacier are also expanding, further exacerbating the logistical woes of the mountaineers. 

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Prof Bryn Hubbard of Aberystwyth University said, “As the ice melts, beneath the rocky debris the surface becomes more variable, encouraging the formation of surface ponds that gradually coalesce to form large lakes.”

Experts are of the opinion that the current base might see more avalanches, storms, ice and rockfalls in the future, so shifting the base would make more sense.

Overcrowding at the base

Despite disagreements over the idea of relocating the base, almost everyone agrees that the base is getting overcrowded. This season, the Nepalese authorities issued a record number of 478 Everest climbing permits.

It means that more than 1,500 people would be using the base, including the support staff. According to Dambar Parajuli, president of Expedition Operators' Association Nepal, the size of the base camp has doubled over the past few years. 

He also added that there were no strict guidelines regarding what was allowed at the base camp and what was not, as the area was getting occupied by unnecessary luxury services, such as massage parlours.