00:00Mount Everest is the highest point on earth, ushering in hundreds of adventurers to try
00:08their hand at the summit every year.
00:11However, that means that the face of the mountain has become covered with garbage, but perhaps
00:15maybe not for long.
00:16According to Insider, climbers have left a staggering 50 metric tons of trash on the
00:20slopes of the mountain, which is why Nepal now plans to deploy an army of trash carrying
00:25drones to fly up there and bring the garbage down.
00:28They're referring to them as heavy lifter drones, and they are able to fly to high altitudes
00:32where they can then be loaded up with refuse.
00:34Test flights were already completed back in April, with just one drone being able to remove
00:39some 500 pounds of trash in an hour.
00:41With the Kathmandu Post reporting that would have taken a dozen Sherpas around six hours.
00:47Not to mention, it is much more dangerous for the local travel guides and mountain stewards,
00:51and that's a particular concern in the Khumbu Icefall, a 1.6 mile stretch of ice just above
00:56Everest Base Camp.
00:57One that is constantly sliding down the mountain at a rate of around three to four feet a day.
01:02In fact, just last year, three Sherpas died in an avalanche in that very section, meaning
01:06these drones could clean the mountain's face, all while saving lives.
Comments