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Sixty major avalanches have been recorded in Nepal’s mountains over the past century, most of them in the Everest region.

Studies show these incidents were directly related to climate change and increasing human activities. The makeup of Everest is changing—and fast.

“Over the years, I have witnessed many glacial streams form and crevasses grow wider in the Everest region,” mountaineer Onchhu Sherpa says. “The base camp itself is riddled with holes and fissures.”

Global warming has increased the risk of avalanches in Nepal’s mountains in recent decades. The study ‘Glacial Hazards and Avalanches in High Mountains of Nepal’s Himalaya’ suggests that climate change and human activities have added to the challenges of preserving Everest.

Sherpa says these changes are unnatural and deeply troubling, but Nepal is still not doing enough to stop the impending disaster.

The consequences of these changes will mostly affect the life and livelihood of people residing in the lower Everest regions.

“We don’t know when a devastating avalanche will hit the area. It is the locals who will bear the brunt because tourists and mountaineers visit the region only during the climbing season,” says Sherpa.

The Everest basecamp is also not safe anymore and the government is planning to move its starting point around 200 meters below the current site.

“The current basecamp located close to the Khumbu glacier is getting increasingly unstable. By relocating the basecamp, we hope to lower the melting process of the glacier,” says Taranath Adhikari, director-general of the department.

The Everest basecamp is located at an altitude of 5,364m. Nearly 1,500 people camp up there during the climbing season. Discarded food packets, climbing gear and other solid waste litter the place, which is also a cause for concern.

“How can the basecamp remain intact when you have hundreds of people camping there for days?” asks Lamakaji Sherpa, a tourism entrepreneur based at Namche.

Karma Sherpa, a tourism expert, says there used to be a time when mountaineers and their guides had to remove a thick cover of snow at the basecamp to set up camp. “It isn’t so these days. These days the basecamp is largely naked and full of holes,” he says.

Scientists say while avalanches are caused by various natural factors like snowstorms and heavy snowfalls, there is no doubt that climate change and human activities have increased their frequency.

Between 1922 and 2020, a total of 372 people lost their lives in mountain avalanches in Nepal, and of them 324 were in the Everest region. 

Nepal reported 62 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 1, 008 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 51 returned positive. Likewise, 612 people underwent antigen tests, of which 11 were tested positive.

The Ministry said that no one died of virus in the last 24 hours. The Ministry said that 19 infected people recovered from the disease.

As of today, there are 261 active cases in the country.

The local administration in Banke has urged the locals to remain cautious as the water level in the Rapti River has been increasing. The river has been swollen due to torrential rain since Tuesday night, said Rupan Gyawali, Information Officer at the District Emergency Operation Center, Banke.

The water level in the river has been measured 3.18 meters high at 9 am on Wednesday while water level measuring 5 meters is an alarming sign and 5.4 meters signifies a danger line, it has been said. Banke measured 150 milliliters rain in the past six hours, said Gyawali.

The water level in the river is predicted to increase throughout the day today as moderate rain is predicted, he said, adding that settlements including Holiya, Chaupheri, Betahani and Kamdi of Duduwa Rural Municipality and Baijapur, Binauna and Phattepur of Raptisonari Rural Municipality are at risk of being washed away.

The caution notice has been issued following the increment of the water level in the river, said Chief District Officer, Banke, Surya Bahadur Khatri.

Local people are requested to stay alert and not to resort to any activities near the swollen river like fishing and collecting logs brought by the river.

Two persons including ward chairman have been arrested for their alleged involvement in raping a 28-year-old woman in Baitadi.

The arrestees have been identified as ward chairman of Mainali Municipality-1 of the district Sharad Singh Negi and Keshav Singh Negi.

Inspector Lok Raj Joshi said that the duo were arrested based on the victim's complaint.

The woman has been sent to the District Hospital for medical check-up.

Police said that they are looking into the case.