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Can Nepal measure Everest’s height on its own?

Kathmandu, January 25

Can Nepal measure the height of Mt Everest? This is a question Nepalis are asking a day after the Indian Surveyor General Swarn Subba Rao said that is government would send an expedition to the highest mountain in the world to ‘re-measure’ its height.

Rao, who was speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the World Spatial Forum in Hyderabad, also said that the expedition would lay to rest claims that the height of Everest, established by an Indian mission 162 years ago to 8,848m, has changed or not.

Nepali authorities say that they have not received any formal request from their Indian counterparts on sending an expedition to Everest. They, however, cautioned that measuring the height of Everest is not a simple undertaking, and would require lot of expertise. Also, it is important that the methodolgy adopted be acceptable to the scientific community.

According to senior scientists, GPS is used to measure height of mountains these days. For example, scientists in the UK recently scaled the highest beak in Britain, Ben Nevis using GPS technology. According to British Media, surveyor Mark Greaves used a system of 12 sattelies to measure the height of Ben Nevis in two hours.

But In the case of Nepal, the country does not have its own sattelite, let alone technology to make use of foreign sattelites. In 2011, the Department of Survey sought Rs 10 million ($100,000) for the task from the government, but it was denied funding.

“In 2011, we had suggested that we develop infrastructure to measure the height of Everest by seeking cooperation from the international community. But the government did not give us a penny,” says an official at the department.

He said that this does not mean, results obtained by an Indian expedition would be acceptable to China, on whose border the north face of Everest lies. “That is why the best thing would be to seek international cooperation on this, and ensure Nepal takes the lead.”

Meanwhile, head of Nepal’s department of survey Krishna BC says the Indian government has not sent any official communication to his office on it plans to send an expedition to Everest. “We had an informal conversation with our Indian counterparts last year. But nothing has been finalised.”

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