Mount Everest is famous for its dramatic peaks and endless stretches of ice. However, recently, a new study has pointed out a problem that does not get talked about much: human activity at Everest Base Camp which is speeding up glacier melt. And surprisingly, human waste is a big part of the story. A study published in Regional Environmental Change looked at how the crowds gathering at Everest Base Camp are putting extra strain on the Khumbu Glacier. During peak climbing season, the base camp turns into a small, bustling town, with thousands of climbers, guides and support staff living out of nearly 1,600 tents. All of this activity needs fuel, and fuel means heat. The study found that during the 2023 spring season, camp operators burned through 824 LPG cylinders, 18,935 litres of kerosene and 5,130 litres of gasoline just for cooking, heating tents and keeping generators running. Also Read: Why Travel Influencer Sayan Nath Keeps Going Back To Oman: Deserts, Beaches, Mountains And More Add it all up, and the heat generated over the season came to roughly 849,174 megajoules. That is enough energy, researchers calculated, to melt close to 2,492 tonnes of glacier ice and snow - about the same amount of water it would take to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Here is where it gets interesting. At high altitude, climbers need to drink a lot of water to stay hydrated, and that fluid has to go somewhere. Base Camp reportedly sees more than 6,000 litres of urine discharged every single day during the season. Solid waste is dealt with fairly responsibly - it is collected in storage tanks and carried down the mountain. Urine, though, is a different story. It is typically released straight onto the glacier surface. And because urine is warm compared to the ice around it, that heat transfer adds up. Researchers estimated that urine alone could be responsible for melting around 154 tonnes of ice in a single climbing season. What makes this even more concerning is that the numbers used in the study are likely on the lower side. The researchers did not factor in the heat from helicopter flights ferrying gear and people in and out, the body heat given off by thousands of climbers moving around camp, or the presence of yaks and other pack animals that help carry supplies up the mountain. Include all of that, and the real impact on the glacier could be even bigger. Also Read: Forget Pangong, This Dreamy Indian Lake Could Easily Be Mistaken For A Foreign Destination Climate change is still the biggest long-term threat to Himalayan glaciers, and nothing in this study changes that. But it does add an important layer to the conversation - the sheer scale of human presence at Base Camp during peak season is leaving its own, very local mark on the ice. For anyone dreaming of trekking to Everest Base Camp or attempting the summit one day, it is a reminder that even a single trip up the world's highest mountain leaves a footprint - sometimes quite literally, in the form of melted ice where a tent once stood. As climbing seasons get busier every year, questions about how to manage waste and fuel use at Base Camp are only going to become more urgent, not just for the mountain's famous glaciers, but for everyone who depends on the water that flows from them further down the valley. Travel News - Find latest news and tips based on Indian and World travel including top 10 travel destination, tourism information, how to reach visit and more at Times Now. Senior Copy Editor at Times Network, Akanksha Arora covers Lifestyle, Culture and everything that falls under its big umbrella. When not writing, she ... View More