The Everest Region (Nepal) > Reviews > Nepalian Trek - Amazing, but the ethics of it?

Nepal is located among the southern slopes of the Himalayan Mountain range in the kind of south central part of Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, and India to the east, west and south. The country is divided into 3 main sections; the high mountainous areas (including Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse and Mt. Makalu); the Kathmandu Valley (a circular basin); and the Tarai (a narrow flat belt of alluvial land).
With 40,000 people coming to this location, sometimes at £5,000 a head, it is no wonder that the mountains of Nepal have the potential to generate a lot of money for the local area. This would only seem logical to you or me, but is it really the case, and are there any additional costs involved. Over the course of this piece I will hope to find out the truth about what is really happening.
When westerners travel, all they have to worry about is having a good time, as their bags, tents, and any other equipment is all carried by local people who need the money. Each tourists’ equipment ways in excess of 40-50Kg, which the local will carry in a basket on his back and head. Not only does this lead to a high risk of injury when travelling at a slow speed, but to make matters worse they have to leave last and arrive fast, putting pressure on them to travel at a quick pace. It is these locals who bear the brunt of any unfair trade.
It has been noted that nearly all travels forget all about their “slaves” for the week, which explains why the country can get away with treating them badly. On Mt. Everest temperatures can drop to minus 18 degrees during the trekking season, and while tourists get high quality camping and climbing gear, the porters travel around in a cotton shirt and camp out in the open. Many of the porters have lost their extremities due to frostbite, but to them it just comes as part of the job.
The main problem with any kind of activity at altitude is the problem of altitude sickness. This can also be referred to as high altitude pulmonary oedema, which can be fatal if not treated immediately. The thing is, the only method of treatment is to go to lower altitude; and while tourists would be taken down immediately and cared for; the porters would stay out in the cold and then have to continue trekking up the mountain to keep their customer happy, and therefore get paid at the end of the trip. Each year 9,000 people end up in hospital with the illness. The porters, by repeatedly doing the trek, and staying in the cold are constantly putting their life at risk, and all for £3 per day. This, from a business worth £26 million is very little, especially considering the amount of work they are doing.
Porters are forced to work for these low wages, as they have families down in the villages to support; where there is no electricity or running water. By leaving them with no choice but to work in the industry, they do not complain; and by not complaining they get exploited against. For each arriving tourist there are 15 to 20 porters looking on hopefully to be asked to carry their bags.
Nepal, as a country has its one or two wealthy people, but in general its population are living in povertous conditions. With just 2 large treks covering a years costs for Nepal, and therefore 1/3 of Nepal, highlights how much the porters are exploiter against in the industry.
Many porters, as I said before are treated very poorly by the tourists, and a few cases show the extent to which this is true. There were a group of 12 trekkers, and when the porter fell in front of them, 11 of them just walked over him. It wasn’t until the 12th guy stopped that the porter was treated. After an avalanche on a trek, the helicopters were launched to try and pick up the survivors. When a porter tried to get into the copter, he and his bag were just pushed back out (by the emergency services) and told that only tourists were to be recovered.
Once a couple of decent tourists had seen what was happening and how the local people were being treated, the IPPG (International Porter Protection Group) was set up. Their mission statement stated, "IPPG's aim is to improve health and safety for the trekking porter at work in the mountains and reduce the incidence of avoidable illness injury and death. This is done by raising awareness of the issue among trekking and travel companies, leaders, sirdars, and trekkers." In 2000 porters progress had 12 jackets and a closet, but it has now turned into one of the worlds’ most promising Non-governmental organizations, and provides lots of porters with a wind jacket, emergence aid and shoes, that will allow them to continue their job in a safer manner.
When asked, the porters knew very little about the regulations to porters, which is due to both their unargumentative nature, and their lack of education. They pointed out that there was no point in arguing their rights, as all they would do was loose their jobs, and they were reliant upon this income to survive. The poor status of these porters is clear, and the only way that the situation is going to improve for them is if the tourists start backing them, and say that they will only travel if these porters get treated and paid better. The following quote says it all, “White mans voice always over Napoleon.”
Each year an untold number of porters in Nepal die from carrying loads for foreign trekkers. They die from altitude sickness, hypothermia, and tragic falls, but still others are crippled by frostbite and snow blindness. Recently an ill porter took shelter in a lodge, where he died that night. The police then charged the owner 10,000 rupees to take the body away. This has led to many lodge owners refusing to accommodate for the needs of the ill porter, and has just made the whole problem worse. With this continued level of effort in favor of the porters, they may achieve their aim of working towards a sustainable and ethical trekking industry.