MUNCIE, INDIANA, March 25, 2015 -- Several faculty and students from Ball State University in the city of Muncie, Ind., are returning to Mount Everest this May to expand their research into how extensively human waste left by climbers is contaminating water resources on the mountain. Led by Kirsten Nicholson, a Ball State geological sciences professor, the team will spend several weeks in Nepal to conduct studies as part of the university's Himalayan Sustainability Initiative.
Ball State teams have spent the last several years studying contaminated groundwater that supplies the 900-person community of Khumjung at nearly 17,000 feet (see "Conquering Everest's water contamination problem"). The group will soon seek funding from U.S. agencies and global non-governmental organizations to assist with delivering drilling equipment and establishing water distribution facilities.
"Although the impact is visible, primarily along the more popular trekking routes where non-biodegradable solid waste has resulted in environmental pollution, the effects are also felt in the waterways," Nicholson said. "Unmanaged or poorly managed solid waste disposal and open defecation have resulted in contamination of the major rivers. Sewage and toilet waste can be found piped into nearby streams and rivers, resulting in considerable degradation of major rivers."
She points out that no studies of local groundwater -- the primary source of drinking water -- have been conducted. In the return to the mountain, Ball State researchers will expand their efforts by coordinating with a Nepali graduate student, Sherpas and an area youth group. "We will be working with the Sherpa community to test drinking water throughout the region to determine where there is clean water and where there is not," Nicholson said. "We are also hoping to build a small permanent testing station in the area for the community to use. This work will enable our team to identify polluted water sources and help find new, clean drinking water supplies."
