Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, February 26

Dutch tourists are all set to begin a Ghorepani circuit clean-up campaign in the Annapurna

Conservation Area and create awareness among the locals and tourists on the need to keep the environment clean.

Kathmandu Environmental Education Project (KEEP) is organising the campaign in association with Stichting Nepal Pariwar (SNP), a Netherlands based organisation, from February 29 to March 9 with the support from the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) and the Himalayan Glacier Trekking (HGT).

The group will begin its clean-up campaign from Phedi to Ghorepani and will clean the trials as well as villages they stay overnight.

"They will also put up display boards with messages for environment-friendly trek," according to KEEP.

The clean-up team consists of 16 members of SNP, one KEEP member, one Himalayan Glacier representative and 13 trekking staff.

"Tourists have a hand in polluting the environment since they throw wastes while trekking," Jan Laan, representative of SNP, said at a press meet organised by KEEP, SNP and HGT, and promoted by the Journalists in Nepalese Tourism (JOINTOUR) here today.

According to him, it is important that people on the mountains keep their environment clean.

The Stichting Nepal Pariwar has been consulting some Dutch organisations to start a polythene recycling plant in Nepal in a bid to promote a clean environment, said Laan who has visited Nepal 17 times and is leading the team. Bhimsen Sapkota, general secretary of JOINTOUR, said these activities will definitely boost tourist arrivals and enhance "eco-tourism" in Nepal.