Nepal extends validity of permits to climb Mount Everest

Climbing Mount Everest is the main source of revenue for Nepal but, the earthquakes of 2015 have seriously damaged the potentials. At least 19 climbers were killed in the massive earthquake when huge blocks of ice buried their tents at the base camp of the 8,850-metre (29,035 feet) Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain. Therefore, Nepal has extended the validity of the climbing permits of hundreds of foreigners who had been forced to abandon the Himalayas after twin earthquakes in 2015. This step has been taken to encourage them to return to the mountains. This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 1 March 2016.

It seems more than 800 foreign climbers, each of whom had paid up to $11,000 for their permits, had to cancel their expeditions after the April quake triggered landslides and massive avalanches across the Himalayas. Hence, a decision has been taken to allow the climbers to climb on the same permit this year and in 2017. Hopefully this would see Nepal revive tourism that contributes four percent to GDP. The climbing season usually begins later this month but hiking officials say foreign bookings have dropped sharply. Moreover, Nepal's infrastructure was badly hit in the quakes and, coupled with a prolonged transport blockade along the border with India over a political dispute, it has further hit supplies of fuel and equipment.


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Twin Otter plane of Nepal crashes killing all 24 on board

The Twin Otter aircraft of Tara Air, Nepal, has crashed in the mountains and all 24 people on board has been killed. The flight was from Pokhara to Jomsom and it lost contact with the control tower soon after take off. Most of those on board were Nepalis and the reason of the crash is yet to be established.
This has been reported in bbc.com dated 24 February 2016.

There were three crew members and 20 passengers, one of them Chinese and one Kuwaiti. There were also two children. As informed by the director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, the wreckage of the plane was found near the village of Dana in Myagdi district.
Tara Air has indicated that "the weather at both origin and destination airports was favorable" for the 20-minute flight. But, as per Nepal's army, fog had hampered the search for the aircraft.
Pokhara is a resort town located some 200-Km west of the capital Kathmandu while Jomsom is a short distance further north - it is the starting point for many people trekking in the Himalayas. Incidentally, Nepal has a limited road network and many of the areas are accessible only on foot or by air.
In 1949 the first aircraft had landed in Nepal and, since then, there have been more than 70 different crashes involving planes and helicopters, in which more than 700 people have been killed. Most of the accidents have been either due to bad weather, or inexperienced pilots or inadequate maintenance. In 2013, the European Union had banned all Nepalese airlines from flying to its territory for safety reasons.


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Nepal to stop slaughter of animals during Gadhimai festival

During the Gadhimai festival in Nepal, lakhs of animals are slaughtered every year by worshippers because such actions ae believed to bring prosperity and wealth. However, Nepal has now taken a decision to ban such inhuman acts and the temple authorities have announced an indefinite ban on this centuries-old Hindu tradition of mass animal slaughter.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 29 July 2015.

This 300 year old festival will go bloodless in its next edition in 2019 – the festival attracts hundreds of thousands of worshippers and more than five lakh animals get slaughtered.
The festival is held once in five years and hordes of devotees from Nepal and India flock to a temple in the Himalayan nation's southern plains where thousands of animals are sacrificed to appeasing the Hindu goddess of power, Gadhimai.
The last festival was held in 2014 and, in spite of the presence of police and a Supreme Court order to check the illegal smuggling of animals from Indian borders, people continued to cross the Bihar border with live cattle. In fact, 70% of the animals are technically smuggled from India.
Animal rights activists have applauded the decision. The campaign to ban this practice had attracted support from foreign celebrities like British actress Joanna Lumley and French movie legend Brigitte Bardot.
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Nepal to reopen its historical sites to bring back the tourists

Nepal is trying to come out of the horrors of devastation heaped on it by the earthquake in April that left the country and its historical monuments in ruins. While salvage operations have begun, Nepal is trying to woo the tourists back because tourism is one of its plus points.
This has been reported in bbc.com dated 15 June 2015.

The earthquake has killed more than 8,000 people and the destruction was widespread but, despite all odds, Nepal is determined to reopen all the heritage sites in the Kathmandu valley to the public. Among the sites set to reopen are the historic Durbar squares or "noble courts" – these had suffered severe damages.
UNESCO is worried about the safety of these sites but officials have assured that necessary measures have been put in place. Incidentally, immediately after the earthquake, Irina Bokova, the director-general of UNESCO has described damage to the Kathmandu valley as "extensive and irreversible".
UNESCO has, on 11 June, issued a statement advising the public to be extra cautious at the sites. It has also expressed hopes that the decision to reopen them could be re-examined. But, officials have indicated that security will be in place, tourists will be given guided tours and signboards will indicate specified routes to cause minimal disturbance to structures.
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Mt Everest glaciers under threat from greenhouse gases – 70% could be lost by 2100

In a report it has been indicated that more than 70% of the Mt Everest glacier volume could vanish if greenhouse gases continue to increase unchecked – the loss within the next 85 years could increase the risk of floods in the Kosi River downstream from Nepal to India.
This has been reported in zeenews.com dated 27 May 2015.

The study has been carried out by a team of researchers from Nepal, France and the Netherlands and they have concluded that the Everest glaciers could be very sensitive to future warming and that sustained ice loss through the 21st century is likely. In case the greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, the glaciers would not be able to sustain its hold and could give rise to dramatic changes in future decades.
The report has cautioned that increased temperatures will result in not only increase in the rates of snow and ice melt but can also result in a change of precipitation from snow to rain at critical elevations, where glaciers are concentrated.
The combined effect would be to reduce glacier growth and increase the area exposed to melt.
The glaciers in the Dudh Kosi basin in the Nepal Himalayas are home to some of the world's highest mountain peaks, including Mt Everest, and to over 400 sq km of glacier area. Melting of these glaciers would increase in the meltwater from the Dudh Kosi basin to the Kosi River. This will, in turn, affect the river flows downstream.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)


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