A road in the Everest region has been inaugurated and has transformed the route to access the top of the worldwhich until now could only be done by plane or after a week-long walk.
This road of 64 kilometers Built through the mountains it connects the town of Shurke, which serves as a gateway to Everest, with Kathmandu, the capital of the region.
So far the journey could only be done by plane after traveling a distance of 138 kilometers or a week-long walk. This road will allow an increase in visitors and will make life easier for the local population.
A journey of 64 kilometers
For residents of the area and local businessmen, this road has been an advantage, as they have seen how the product prices, as well as the time it takes to supply them.
Before, goods could only reach this town through pack animals like yaks and mules and a harrowing journey through roads that had many deficiencies. Due to these inconveniences, a gas cylinder cost 75 dollars, while in the capital it was sold for 15.
Now Cars and transport vehicles will be able to arrive of goods that will be able to cover this journey in 15 hours.
Conflicting opinions, because it will favor mass tourism
According to tourism businessmen in the area, the number of visitors could be multiplied by 10, going from 50,000 to 500,000 in one year. For this reason, some environmental associations have expressed concern about the “fragile ecosystem” of the Himalayas.
They have stated that greater accessibility to the area could lead to the environmental degradation and threaten this area of the mountain range.
An airport with unique characteristics
Before the construction of the road, this area could only be reached by plane. However, the trip was full of tension because the airport has exceptional characteristics.
Tenzing-Hillary airfield has only single track 527 meters long. But the most dangerous thing is that it is on a slope and ends in a deep precipice, so the pilots have very little room for maneuver.
It was built in 1964 and served to bring this region closer to the rest of Nepal and the world, but its activity is frequently interrupted, especially in winter, which causes food shortages.
With the new road these problems are solved, but we will have to see how the increasingly present mass tourism impacts Everest.