In this post, the ill fate hut is discussed. Also see how the Germans think about our mountains. Hats Off.
Courtesy: German climber protests over defacing of base camp - thenews.com.pk
German climber protests over defacing of base camp
<a href='http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintWriterName.aspx?ID=6&URL=Afshan%20S.%20Khan'>Afshan S. Khan</a> Saturday, June 08, 2013
From Print Edition
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Islamabad
Marianne Klies, a 50-year-old widow who visits Pakistan every year since 2005 for her climbing and trekking passion, was shocked to see a lodge being built for commercial purposes at the Base Camp of Nanga Parbat Diamir Face.
She was talking to ?The News? about the sheer violation of nature, which she says, should be preserved at any cost and not to be exploited by making commercial lodges on mountains.
Marianne said that she, along with other foreign climbers, strongly protest over the construction of a lodge or hut built right at the Base Camp of Diamir Face of Nanga Parbat on the orders of an Italian climber, Simone Moro. He ordered the construction of this hut for his comfort during his winter expeditions. His partner, who belongs to the village close to the base camp, now uses this hut for commercial purposes and rents it out to foreigners. The foreign tourists give at least 5,000-6,000 Euros for an expedition and they pay this exuberant amount to see the natural beauty of these magnificent mountains not the huts and motels there.
?We have seen huts and rooms at the base camps of mountains in Nepal and Bhutan, but we don?t want the same encroachment of beauty and serenity in Pakistan. If someone earning like this then someone else would be intimated to make another hut for his earning, so this should not happen, we climbers have taken a stand against it and there should be someone to stop this violation of nature. We have also rallied in Germany for the same cause,? she said.
Sources in Chilas, when contacted by ?The News,? said that the lodge is made of stone and wood in which marmotte (a small animal) lives. The logs, which were used to make this hut, were chopped off along the side of the base camp. The roof and the flooring were made entirely by this particular wood. The marmotte, which is an animal patent to the area, are being displaced because they live in these trees and their breed is being compromised. After the construction of similar huts here, the herbs, flowers and the grass would cease to grow here and the local people would have problems feeding their animals in summer. They were of the view that they did not want a concrete jungle there and they were happy in the serenity and beauty of the mountains.
The Nanga Parbat has three faces, Diamir Face, Rakhiot and Rupal. Nanga Parbat is located in Gilgit-Baltistan region. Nanga Parbat is one of the eight thousanders with a summit elevation of 8,126 metres (26,660 feet). An immense, dramatic peak rising far above its surrounding terrain, Nanga Parbat is also a notoriously difficult climb. Numerous mountaineering deaths in the mid and early 20th century lent it the nickname ?Killer Mountain?.
Marianne said that she had been an adventurer and longed for these mountains most of her life. She had been to Baltoro, K2 Base Camp, Gondogoro La, Trekking round Nanga Parbat, Mazeno Pass, Naltar, Gasherbrum Base Camp and Diamir Face Camp. ?I write my diary when I am travelling and I have been to different countries, including USA, South America, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Malaysia, Laos, and Cambodia. In Pakistan, I have visited Swat Valley, Peshawar, Chitral, Khyber Pass, Hunza, Kunjala Pass, Gilgit-Baltistan, Askoli, Ushe, Shigar and Lahore,? she said.
Marianne is intimated by the aura and beauty of Pakistan that keeps her attracted to this country. Its fascinating landscapes, wilderness, peace and silence attracted her to come back again and again to explore its beauty. ?It?s good to be in a place where silence prevails and there is no intrusion. You can think and concentrate on your own thoughts. It?s unique that nature and silence are together here. No lens can capture the grandeur and the beauty of these mountains but it can give you sweet memories,? she said.
?The day I saw this lodge at the Base Camp of Nanga Parbat Diamir Face, which was a year back, I made it a point to protest on every platform against it. I love Pakistan and I don?t want Pakistan to lose its beauty like this. I have met Gilgit-Baltistan secretaries, Pakistan Association of Tour Operators (PATO) office-bearers and wrote a letter to the Gilgit-Baltisan chief minister and told them about this violation in Pakistan, but nothing has been done so far. They should play their part in conserving nature.
The tour operators requested the chief minister to take immediate steps to stop people from building huts and other permanent structures at and in the vicinity of west-face base camp of Nanga Parbat and declare the area beyond Kutgali Summer Village as ?Nanga Parbat National Park?. This would boost adventure tourism activity and protect the valuable forests. She hoped that all the line departments would put their share to protect the environment from the man-made hazards.
Marianne was of the view that this land belongs to the community and how a foreign climber was allowed to build a lodge on a mountain for his own comfort. The North Face sponsors of climbers that manufactures camping equipment should take notice of it, and play its part in conserving nature and only camps should be allowed at the base camps of the mountains. Marianne plans to meet the WWF officials and other high authorities to take notice of this serious matter. ?It should not be tolerated, as it is the commencement of commercialisation at the wrong place,? she added.
