KATHMANDU: An Italian pilot, who flies fishtail chopper and Italian researcher who works at the Pyramid International Observatory, located on the lap of Mt Everest, garnered rubbish and some materials left at the Camp I to the High Altitude Research Center for storage and proper disposal, Sunday afternoon.
According to Gian Pietro Verza, the leading Italian researcher who actually works for the Ev-K2-CNR Committee, Captain Maurizio Folini had sought his help to collect and dispose various materials and rubbish apparently left by the expedition teams that were either victim or witness of the April 18 avalanche.
“Today Maurizio was flying in our area, and he requested me to help him bring the materials,” Verza said, ” Immediately I nodded for storing the rubbish, to be processed under our control of High Altitude…We flew to Camp 1 and collected a good quantity of rubbish including a jerry can containing kerosene.”
The Center, which is jointly managed by the Ev-K2-CNR Committee, Italy and the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) since 1990, is located at 5,050 m in the Khumbu valley, Solukhumbu. The center has been conducting various researches on environment, climate change, human physiology and geology.
Verza has expressed his serious concern over the garbage and other materials left on the roof of the world. “Additionally, monsoon is likely to begin soon, this means that any material left at camp I will be probably covered by abundant snow fall and will be impossible to recover in the days to come”, Verza further added.
“Release of fuel like kerosene would impose bad effects on environment and it would contaminate water in the lower areas in the days to come,” he wrote an email sent to Nepal Mountain Focus.
Also a veteran mountaineer, Verza seems much glad with initiations of Maurizio and other mountain guides for their endeavor to keep the greatest peak in the world a holy. “At same time I am fully grateful to Maurizio and, Mountain Guide for their endeavor of keeping cleaning our holy mountain”. Verza said.
Verza also said that their cleaning bid was in memory of 16 fallen Sherpas who were swept away by April 18 avalanches. “Somebody had to do it, and we did it in memory of those who carried the materials and disappear”, Verza said.
Born in Italy, Maurizio has carried out a record-setting helicopter rescue on Mount Everest. He has worked for a long list of companies in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Canada and Uzbekistan.
According to Fishtail Air, Foloni has 9,000 hours of flying experience, and is also a mountain guide and a member of a rescue team in north Italy.
Born on December 1, 1956, Verza is Data Acquisition Stations Manager at Ev-K2-CNR Committee. He is an expert of the Himalayan environment. He has carried out as many as thirty scientific expeditions in Nepal and worked more than 2000 days at altitudes above 5000 m.