Giant drones to remove garbage from Mount Everest
The Kathmandu Post announced today that after a successful test in AprilA memorandum of understanding was signed between the three authorities responsible for waste disposal on Everest. Drones will remove the waste from the higher slopes of the world’s highest mountain. This agreement applies to the Khumbu region, not just to Mount Everest.
Following successful tests in April, DJI’s long-range heavy-lift drones will begin removing trash from neighboring Ama Dablam this fall and then continue on Everest during the spring 2025 climbing season, local news service reported.
Risk reduction in the Khumbu Icefall
Until this agreement, local Sherpa guides carried garbage from the upper slopes of Everest down to Base Camp. Climbers and Sherpas on the normal route (from the southern Nepal side) must cross the Khumbu Icefall, a constantly flowing river of ice just above Base Camp that is notoriously dangerous.
The 1km-long labyrinth of ice blocks and hanging seracs is so threatening that even the most experienced Sherpas and guides avoid crossing it during the day for fear that the sun’s heat might move the ice. Climbs through the icefall are usually made early in the morning when it is most stable.
Sherpas tasked with trash removal may cross the Khumbu Icefall 30 times in a season to bring down oxygen cylinders, gas canisters, food, ropes and other trash left behind by climbing teams on their mission to summit Mount Everest.
On 18 April In 2014, a falling serac triggered an avalanche in which 16 Sherpa guides died in the icefall. the entire climbing season. According to the Himalayan Database, 50 people died in the Khumbu Icefall between 1953 and 2023.
Famous mountaineer and alpinist Conrad Anker said: “The Khumbu is probably the most dangerous place in the world of mountaineering. You can just sit in base camp during the day and watch avalanches thunder down right over the climbing route. That scares everyone.”
Jagat Bhusal, chief administrative officer of the rural municipality surrounding Everest, told the Kathmandu Post: “The use of drones will help us avoid the dangers in the Khumbu Icefall.”
Drones increase efficiency
The climb from Base Camp through the Khumbu Icefall to Camp I (6,100 m) normally takes 6 hours, and the climb to Camp II (6,300-6,700 m) takes 4 hours. In contrast, the long-range DJI FlyCart 30 drone moved 230 kg per hour between Camp I and Everest Base Camp during testing in April. It takes at least 14 porters 6 hours to accomplish the same.
Government regulations on load limits at high altitudes contribute to the relative inefficiency of human porters. Between 16,404 and 19,685 feet, the limit per person is 44 pounds. From there to 22,966 feet, the limit decreases to 38 pounds; to 26,247 feet, it is 31 pounds. Above that, the limit is 27 pounds.
There has been some pushback from local Sherpas. “Yes, there are concerns that the machines could actually cost jobs. But our only goal is to reduce potential deaths in the Khumbu Icefall, the danger zone,” said Bhusal.
However, he also explained that Sherpas who cannot handle tasks at higher altitudes would be trained to become drone pilots. “In the future, all the work will be done by Sherpas,” he explained.
The DJI drone
The statistics of the DJI FlyCart 30 are impressive.
The Chinese manufacturer claims the following:
- Maximum payload: 66 pounds
- Maximum flight distance without payload: 17 miles
- Maximum flight distance with full payload: 9.9 miles
- Maximum altitude: 19,685 feet
- Maximum video transmission distance: 12 miles
- Operating temperature range: -20 to 45 degrees Celsius
- IP55 weatherproof
DJI conducted the tests on Everest in April, flying the FlyCart from 9 to 6,150 meters (above its stated maximum altitude) and transporting three oxygen cylinders and 1.5 kilograms of other supplies to Camp I. On the return flight, the drone then transported garbage down. The tests showed that the drone could lift 29 kilograms at Camp I, but only about 18 kilograms at Camp II.
How big is the garbage problem on Everest?
According to the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), a non-governmental organization responsible for waste management in the region, 85.1 tonnes of waste was generated at Mount Everest base camp alone, of which 8.8 to 9.9 tonnes came from the higher camps. In total, the SPCC collected 93.7 tonnes of waste this spring.
Almost 60,000 people hike to Mount Everest Base Camp every year.
To combat garbage accumulation, the SPCC enforces an “8 kg garbage rule.” Each person going to Everest Base Camp must bring at least 18 pounds of garbage and pay a deposit of $4,000. This deposit is refunded upon return with at least this minimum amount of garbage. According to the National Geographic Society, the average amount of garbage produced by a single climber is 18 pounds.
Unfortunately, since Everest guide fees are $75,000 or more, many can afford to forgo the deposit and leave their trash behind.
When drones start removing garbage from Mount Everest
This fall, DJI drones will begin removing trash from Ama Dablam (22,349 feet, south of Everest), marking the first time an unmanned aerial vehicle has undertaken commercial operations in Nepal’s high mountains.
Then, during the Everest climbing season from March to May 2025, a swarm of drones will fill the air with trash and supplies.
Everest
