Mountaineering expeditions and trekking parties have piled up a massive amount of garbage on the Baltoro Glacier. (Click all images to enlarge).
Last year the Alpine Club of Pakistan launched a Baltoro Clean Up Expedition in collaboration with K2-CNR, Italy.
The litter was collected and carried out.
With the next climbing- and trekking season coming up, it is requested by ACP that all mountaineers and trekkers leave the area as clean as they find it.
Digging latrine pits is a common practice but appropriate location needs to be allocated away from the main camping site and running streams.
The practice of burning plastics is still being followed on the camp sites. This causes toxic chemicals to be emitted into the air.
ACP encourages the campers that they should instruct their porters to remove the plastics instead of burning them and dispose of them properly. All images by Karrar Haidri/ExplorersWeb, Pakistan.
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ACP's call to 2009 Baltoro expeditions: leave only footprints
Posted: Mar 04, 2009 12:19 am EST
(K2Climb.net) The jewel of Karakoram, Baltoro glacier is situated about 120KM Northeast of Skardu. At over 70 kilometer long, this is the longest glacier outside of the Polar Regions.
During more than seven days of trekking on this river of ice, you will pass many challenging peaks and four 8000ers; K2, Broad Peak, and the Gasherbrums.
The area is frequented by a large number of mountaineers and trekkers each year. In 2008 over 95 mountaineering expeditions and about 5000 trekkers visited the Baltoro glacier.
Unfortunately, by each passing year, mountaineering expeditions and trekking parties accompanied by a large number of local porters have piled up a massive amount of garbage in the area.
Visitors are reporting increased deposits of litter and human body waste scattered around glacier camps, which - besides seriously damaging the local ecology - is becoming a health hazard.
Debrief from ACP 2008 clean-up expedition
Due to this urgency, last year the Alpine Club of Pakistan launched a Baltoro Clean Up Expedition in collaboration with K2-CNR, Italy. The team was led by several official members of the Alpine Club of Pakistan: Professor Mahmood Pervaiz, Abu Abdullah, and Shaheryar Mahmood.
From August 6 to August 25, 2008, a large number of local porters collected all burnable and non burnable garbage such as packing tins, cartons, polythene bags, food stuff etc.
The litter was carried out of the area for its correct disposal below Askole – the last village enroute to the Baltoro glacier. From Askole the Garbage was moved on jeeps to Skardu and finally handed over to Skardu Municipal Authority.
Request for Mountaineers and Trekkers
With the next climbing- and trekking season coming up, it is requested by ACP that all mountaineers and trekkers leave the area as clean as they find it.
This should not be left until the last minute. Waste processing is encouraged right from the start.
- Digging latrine pits is a common practice but appropriate location needs to be allocated away from the main camping site and running streams.
- Paper should be burnt, while plastic, tins, metal, glass and bags should be retrieved as they do not degrade. Lack of sanitation can result in spread of dangerous diseases.
- Care should be taken not to dispose any waste in crevasses and river water. Carrying lime to sprinkle in the pit will dampen the stench.
- Human body waste can take a very long time to decompose and any bio-waste if frozen can take centuries to decompose. All members are encouraged to complete the burning process by evening before their next day journey.
The practice of burning plastics is still being followed on the camp sites. This causes toxic chemicals to be emitted into the air. These toxic chemicals remain in the air and destroy the ozone layer.
There is no natural known process that can effectively remove the toxic chemicals from air which remain their causing further damage. ACP encourages the campers that they should instruct their porters to remove the plastics instead of burning them and dispose of them properly.
(Text and images by Karrar Haidri/Alpine Club of Pakistan).
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