Nepalese Buddhists light incense sticks at the Boudhanath Stupa during Buddha Jayanti festival in Kathmandu yesterday. Hundreds of people have visited Buddhist shrines and monasteries in Kathmandu on the birthday of Gautama Buddha to pray for the country
Sherpas in Nepal have refused to rebuild a climbing route on Mount Everest that was destroyed by an earthquake-triggered avalanche more than one week ago, a decision which will likely end this year’s climbing season.
Gyanendra Shrestha, an official at Nepal’s Mountaineering Department, said the Sherpas informed the office yesterday that they were not going to rebuild the route.
It would be the second consecutive year that the climbing season has been called off because of deaths on the world’s highest peak. The climbing season was cancelled last year after an avalanche in April that killed 16 Sherpa guides.
Mountaineering teams have until the end of the month to climb the peak, but without the route fixed it is not be possible for them to make their climbs. The Sherpas play a crucial role by bringing the ladders, ropes and equipment needed to clear the trail.
Kapindra Rai of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, which controls the Icefall Doctors as the Sherpas are called, said there was not much time left in the season before it starts to get warmer and melting ice and monsoon rains bring bad weather.
“It is just not possible to rebuild the route in time for climbers to attempt to scale the peak,” Rai said, although a formal decision has not been made yet.
The government has not formally cancelled the season and climbing permits are valid until the end of May.
Climbers and Sherpas attempting to reach the summit from the north face of the mountain in Tibet have already packed their gear and left after Chinese authorities closed all climbing for the spring season.
The Sherpas are paid daily wages, but will also lose the big bonuses they generally receive from the teams after successful climbs to the peak.
The April 25 earthquake has already killed more than 7,200 people in Nepal, flattened mountain villages and destroyed buildings and archaeological sites in Kathmandu. Binaj Gurubacharya, Kathmandu, AP
huge foreign support needed for reconstruction
Nepal’s information minister says the country will need immense international support as it begins turning its attention toward post-quake reconstruction in coming weeks. While there are no clear estimates yet of how much it will cost to rebuild, it will certainly be enormously expensive. Information Minister Minendra Rijal said that in two to three weeks a serious reconstruction package would be needed, and “we’ll need enormous help from the international community.” He said that there would be a “huge, huge funding gap.” He also said foreign rescue workers were welcome in Nepal, saying they could remain as long as they are needed. He had earlier said that the need for their services was diminishing, but later denied that he wanted them to leave the country.
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