EVEREST & SHERPA

 

The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has issued guidelines for foreign tourists to follow in order to minimize the possible spread of coronavirus infection while conducting trekking and mountaineering activities. The foremost condition laid out by the Tourism Ministry is that the tourists must secure an entry-visa or an entry-permit in absence of visa-provision in their countries in co-ordination with respective agencies. Likewise, the travelers must carry with themselves a PCR test report conducted not more than 72 hours ago, attesting that the person has tested negative for Covid-19. Along with the report, the traveler must have booking-documents for the hotel wherein they will stay for at least seven days in quarantine. Furthermore, the person must provide papers proving they have insurance of USD 5,000. In addition to the above-mentioned conditions; the traveler must also undergo a PCR test at their own expense on the fifth day of being quarantined. They may proceed for the purported activity at the end of the quarantine period only on testing negative for the disease. If the test results in a positive, the person must stay in quarantine for as long as they do not test negative. The Ministry also states that the trekking or mountaineering agency must ensure travelers from Nepal against coronavirus for a sum of Rs 100,000 prior to applying for the permit. Travel enthusiasts must also abide by all the protocols layout by the Ministry of Health of Nepal. Meanwhile, eight-time Everest summiteers Pemba Sherpa criticized new protocols saying there will be no trekkers and mountaineers in the upcoming season. “They won’t come here to stay at a hotel for a week even after having a negative PCR report,” Sherpa who is also chairman at Adventure Ascent said. He further asked the government to review its decision.

 

Ang Rita Sherpa, popularly known as the ‘snow leopard’ in the mountaineering community, has passed away this morning, according to family sources. He was 72. “The legendary climber breathed his last at around 10:40am at his residence in Jorpati,” his neighbor Mingma Sherpa, who is also chairman at Yambu Thamichho Kydug, confirmed. Ang Rita is survived by two sons and a daughter. The reason behind his death is not known yet. Sherpa was awarded a Guinness World Record certificate for making the most number of successful ascents on Mt Everest without using the supplemental oxygen. Sherpa made it to the top of the world for the 10th time in 1996 without using bottled oxygen. Ang Rita reached the summit of Mt Everest eight times via the Southeast Ridge route, according to a record maintained by the Department of Tourism. Ang Rita has received two Guinness World Records for the most climbs of Mt Everest without supplementary oxygen i.e 10 times and the ”His first winter climb of Mt Everest without supplementary oxygen was in 1987.”

news sources : The Himalayan Times 

 
A meeting held at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation today decided to allow domestic airline operators to operate flights with full occupancy. The government was forced to backtrack on its earlier direction after the airline operators refused to operate flights unless the government allows full occupancy in flights in the domestic sector. Earlier, the government had proposed airline operators to operate flights carrying only 50 percent passengers. Rather they were requested to increase airfare. However, the airline operators had turned down the government’s request citing their losses and that passengers would not be able to afford the expensive airfare. But now that the government has relented, the airline operators have announced that flights in the domestic sector will resume from September 21. “Airline operators were already facing huge losses due to the pandemic and the government’s proposal to operate flights with only 50 percent occupancy was not practical. Moreover, hiked airfare would discourage passengers from flying. Thus, we had refused to operate flights as per the earlier direction,” said Yograj Kandel, spokesperson for the Airline Operators Association of Nepal. With a slogan of ‘Flight safety is our commitment’, the Airline Operators Association of Nepal issued a notice today informing passengers that the flights will begin to all regular sectors. The notice has further requested all the domestic airline companies and passengers to follow the health safety protocols properly. To regulate the domestic aviation sector, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has issued ‘Guidance to Airlines, Airports and Ground Services for Operations during COVID-19’. Airline operators have also issued their own Standard Operating Procedures. Domestic flights have been halted since March in an attempt to prevent COV- ID-19 from spreading. However, the operation of emergency flights, cargo flights, and chartered flights has been allowed with special permission from CAAN. During today’s meeting, the government decided to allow airline operators to operate only 25 percent of their regular flight schedule. Earlier, the government had said airline operators could operate 30 percent of their allotted slots.

The News Sources: The Himalayan Times

 

A mountaineering expedition team comprising of Bahraini Prince Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa arrived in Nepal on Wednesday morning to climb two Himalayan mountains, an official of Nepal's Foreign Ministry said."The team arrived Nepal at around 11 a.m. (local time) at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu where a team of Nepal's foreign ministry welcomed the expedition team," Suresh Adhikari, assistant spokesperson at Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who led the team of ministry officials for a courtesy call at the airport, told Xinhua on Wednesday.According to the press release posted by Nepali embassy in Bahrain on its website on Wednesday, an 18-member expedition team comprising 15 members of Bahrain's Royal Guard and three British climbers had set out for Nepal in a private jet in early morning on Wednesday.According to the Seven Summit Expedition, a Nepali company, which is organizing the expedition, the team plans to climb Mt. Manaslu and Mt. Lobuche. The 8,163m high Mt. Manaslu is the world's eighth highest peak lies in the western Nepal while Mt. Lobuche (6,619m) lies in the Qomolangma region.But the team has not yet received permit from Nepal's Department of Tourism to climb these mountains because Nepal's Department of Tourism issues the permit at the presence of the team leader as per the mountaineering rules of the Himalayan country. Mingma Sherpa, managing director of Seven Summit, told Xinhua on Wednesday that the permits could be received by Thursday as all the required documents have already been submitted to the department.According to Sherpa, this team is climbing the two peaks in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic as a part of preparation to summit Mt. Qomolangma in the spring of 2021.After arriving Nepal, the team is currently staying at Gokarna Forest Resort at the outskirt of the Kathmandu's city area where they will spend a week in 'hotel quarantine' in line with health protocol of the Nepali government, according to Seven Summit Trek."After a week, the team will first set out for Mt. Lobuche which the team plans to climb as a part of acclimatization to scale the Mt. Manaslu," said Sherpa. "The expedition team set out for Mt. Manaslu after scaling the Mt. Lobuche." This team is expected to remain in Nepal for around two months. Even though Nepali government is yet to permit foreign tourists to Nepal visit, the Nepal's cabinet in late August had decided to permit the expedition team comprising of Bahrain prince.Meanwhile, Nepal's cabinet early this week decided to allow foreigners who want to visit Nepal for mountaineering and trekking starting from October 17. "But, they should produce a medical report confirming that they don't have infection with coronavirus," said Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Nepal's Foreign Minister and spokesperson of the Nepali government at a press meet on Tuesday. Enditem

Shorts History of Dhaka.

Himalayas and sea are having fever, We must clean rivers 21st century started since Jan 1, 2001. The beginning of the 21st century has been marked by the rise of a global economy and consumerism, deepening global concern over terrorism and an increase in private enterprise.Effects of Global Warming and rising sea level continued, with eight islands disappearing between 2007 and 2014. Natural flowing watercourse like a river is sensitive to nature.Rivers are part of the hydro logical cycle. Water generally collects in a river from precipitation through a drainage basin from surface runoff and other sources such as groundwater recharge, springs, and the release of stored water in natural ice and snow packs (glacier). When the negative impacts toward nature grow even if the part of the river is intoxicated it flows down to the sea, ocean harming every ecosystem knowingly unknowingly.     

Sonam Sherpa Climate Change Campaigner