Nima Gyalje Sherpa ‘Goparma’
Enough is enough; the mountaineering industry of Nepal must act fairly for the welfare of the high altitude workers – the Sherpas.
In Nepal, Mountaineering activities and Sherpas have been synonymous since the last century. Mountain climbing is a profession of ethnic Sherpa people in Nepal. However, they get negligible amount of payment as a salary and there is no proper payment system established. Thousands of Sherpas have lost their lives in their dedicated pursuit of this risky occupation. Unfortunately, there has been no official account on the number of lives that the Sherpas and other high altitude workers have lost since the beginning of mountaineering expedition in Nepal. Nor is there any account on the condition of the family members and children of the Sherpas who died or became disabled in mountaineering mishaps.
18th April 2014 has been the darkest history in mountaineering on which 16 ethnic Sherpas lost their lives in an avalanche at the height of 5800 M. The sentiment to advocate for the high altitude Sherpa workers for a fair go has reached a saturation point. Let us join hands in this humanitarian mission to advocate for the helpless ethnic Sherpas.
The mission of the Nepal Mountaineering Association is to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of mountain people. It does not mention the welfare of the high altitude workers/Sherpas – insurance, renumeration and welfare for the children of those died or injured. Despite the abundance of agencies which rely on the hard work of the Sherpas, none of them stresses on the welfare of the Sherpas and their dependent family members when they are injured or dead. This necessitates the need for an association owned and operated strictly by the High Altitude Workers with financial contribution made by every expedition team.
To make more business by attracting more climbers, the trekking companies in Nepal recently lobbied the government to lower the Everest climbing permit fees from $ 25,000 to $ 11,000. The government of Nepal has accepted the proposal without a thought of the safety and welfare of the voiceless hard working Sherpas. The amount of money spent by the Nepalese government on the safety, welfare and basic need of the Sherpas is disproportionately small compared to the amount of money that the Government receives from the Expedition and other mountaineering agencies. It is totally unfair, unjust, unacceptable but it can be avoidable.
It is time for the Government of Nepal, civic society and the international communities to understand the plea of the voiceless hard working high altitude workers/Sherpas for what they are well deserved. Mountain climbing is an adventure but is risky and unpredictable and history may repeat. In my opinion, each high altitude worker/Sherpa should get at least Nepalese Rupees 3 million (approx. $30,000.00 US) for insurance and similar amount for renumeration.
In response to the unjust and unfair treatment they receive, the high altitude workers/Sherpas have boycotted all climbing activities for now, in order to pressurise the Nepalese government and its bodies to legitimise their reasonable demand.
Mountaineering tourism is the most important tourism industry and a major source of income for the country. Without the Sherpas, back-bone of the Himalayas, the industry will collapse and so as the financial income generated. Let us hope that the Nepalese government and its bodies will understand the seriousness of the situation and act genuinely to rectify this crisis.
Nima is from Ilam- Mechi
Currently, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
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