From Nepal’s Everest Drones to Peru’s Drone Boom: Harnessing Technology for Environmental Protection

The use of drones for waste collection on the Asian mountain range represents a significant step forward in addressing the impact of human contamination on even the most remote locations. Prior to this initiative, Sherpas, an ethnic group living in the mountainous regions of Nepal, and members of the army had to navigate hazardous icefalls while carrying large amounts of garbage.

Jagat Prasad Bhusal, administrative director of the municipality overseeing Nepal’s side of the mountain, expressed his support for using drones to alleviate the burden on Sherpas who risk their lives transporting waste. This marks a first-time trial of drone technology for waste collection on this scale. If successful, these aircraft will be utilized entirely to transport garbage from Camp II, situated at 6,400 meters above sea level in future seasons.

The accumulation of waste on Everest has led it to be dubbed as “the highest garbage dump in the world.” In response to this issue, Nepal implemented measures in 2014 that require climbers to descend from the peak with at least 8 kg of garbage or risk losing a $4,000 deposit. Additional rules such as using chips to locate climbers and requiring feces collection have also been put into place to address growing pollution concerns.

Nepal partnered with The NeverRest Project in 2023 to mobilize mountain specialists and climbers towards tackling waste problems on Everest. However, despite numerous regulations being announced by Nepal for mountain climbing over the years, implementation has been lacking due to the absence of liaison officers on-site.

Innovative solutions like utilizing drones for environmental purposes provide hope for combating plastic pollution crises. By mapping plastic waste locations using drones equipped with cameras, organizations such as Ellipsis Earth gather essential data that can contribute significantly towards eliminating pollution and waste accumulation issues. Drones’ development beyond military applications demonstrates their immense potential and versatility across various sectors.

Meanwhile, Peru has seen a considerable increase in commercial drone usage over recent years. From topography and mapping to surveillance, construction inspections, disaster prevention and more – drones have found diverse applications across different sectors worldwide.

Properly utilizing drones for initiatives like waste collection on Everest can help address environmental challenges effectively in hard-to-reach areas where traditional methods are challenging or impossible to implement due to logistical constraints or hazardous conditions.

Overall, harnessing technology like drones for environmental purposes provides an excellent opportunity for reducing human impact on remote ecosystems while promoting sustainable practices across industries worldwide.