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Summer Delight: Trekking Season Kicks off at Mt Everest

Public Health & Nutrition

Mountaineers’ Delight: Trekking Season Kicks off at Mt Everest

by Staff Correspondent May 11, 2019

written by Staff Correspondent

Ramesh Pokhrel | The TrickyScribe: The hard work put in by Sherpa line-fixing teams on both sides of Everest has paid off. On the southern side, a group of climbing Sherpas from Himalayan Guides and Madison Mountaineering fixed the route above 6,400m on April 24. By May 1, they progressed to just below the rock buttress of the Geneva Spur at 7,600m. The next day, they pushed on to South Col and Camp IV. At 8,000m, Camp 4 is a significant milestone: From here, teams mount their final push for the summit.

On the mountain’s northern side, heavy snow pushed back those setting fixed lines on the North Col temporarily. Since then they have made markable progress, reaching as high as 8,300m before descending to Base Camp on May 3 in their bid to avoiding the winds moving in from Bay of Bengal.

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An early traffic jam in the Icefall quickly resolved and since then, climbers have been moving freely through Camps I to III on the southern side. On the northern side, teams have slept as high as the North Col. When Cyclone Fani finally struck Everest on May 3, climbers on both sides retreated to lower camps waiting eagerly for gentler winds; monitoring the snowfall.

Know Everest Before You Try Climbing It

For anyone who finds difficult to hold their adrenaline and craves thrill, fun and adventure in their life must have the thought of climbing Everest at least once in their lifetime. In case one is determined, one can scale any height; precautionary measures are important.

Documents & Permits Required

For Everest Base Camp Trek, two types of permits are required: TIMS (Trekkers Information Management System) Card and Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit. One can obtain them on their own from Nepal Tourism Board or the Sagarmatha National Park entrance after paying a certain fee. Guides can help in fetching the same, in case hired. Passport-size photographs and copies of passport are to be kept handy.

Best Season for Trek

Spring and autumn are preferred seasons for climbing Mount Everest. Spring stretches from mid-February to May; this remains the hottest time of the year when the mercury can soar as high as 30 degrees Celsius, whereas mid-September to November is autumn. The season is marked by dryness in the atmosphere, alluring clear blue sky and a gentle breeze that sets the perfect ground for mountaineering.

Trekking Route & Guide

For any trip or trek, one needs to know the route that is to be followed. The trek is of eight days following the traditional route of Kathmandu- Lukla – Phakding – Namche –Tengboche –Dingboche – Lobuche –Gorakshep – Everest Base Camp (though there are some trekking companies that may suggest a different route altogether).
Hiring a trekking guide has been legalized by Nepal government for expatriates in the Himalayas. Well-equipped and knowledgeable guides can help a lot besides being the best possible support system in the inhospitable terrains. Firstly, the guide takes care of all the preparations for the trek. The guides keep ticking you with information about the places and people you come across on way.

Trekking Gear

Basic trek gear includes trek boots & socks, sandals/slippers/flip-flops, windproof jackets, shades, gloves, dry pack, trek poles, quick-dry lingerie and sources of entertainment besides whatever you feel necessary.

High Altitude Sickness

Anyone can suffer from high altitude sickness. The symptoms include headache, vomit, fatigue, an increase in pulse rate, loss of appetite, insomnia or any other related discomfort in the body. It can be taken care by proper acclimatization. First aid kit is a must! Don’t forget to bring a first aid kit along but consulting a doctor is always preferred before initiating any sort of medication.

Nepali Currency is Must

Availability of Nepalese can make life easier on the trek. One can exchange their currency notes at various points in Nepal, including the airport. The higher you go, the more expensive utilities get. Spend keeping in mind that!

Conquering Everest Requires Fitness, Mental & Physical

Life in the mountains is not easy. One has to come out of inertia meeting people with different culture altogether. Climbing Everest is no rocket science. One shall be mentally and physically fit to climb; in terms of strength and stamina. Proper training is advised.

Walk At a Leisurely Pace

Health comes first! Reaching your destination before time won’t fetch any medallion; it makes one endure exertion for sure. Climbing Everest is a feat in itself.

Be Insured

Being physically fit and healthy notwithstanding, it is suggested to have proper insurance while coming to Nepal for trekking to the Himalayas.

No Poaching

Poaching in Sagarmatha National Park is strictly prohibited. Violators are prosecuted. Tourists are closely monitored throughout their stay in Nepal through community police. Poaching attracts long-term imprisonment.

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May 11, 2019 0 comments

India

Spotted Linsang: The Mysterious Ambush Hunter

by Staff Correspondent April 16, 2019

written by Staff Correspondent

Yadav Ghimirey | The TrickyScribe: Spotted linsang, a small and sleek carnivore, was recently photographed for the first time in more than 175 years in Nepal; first authentic evidence of the species in Nepal. Although there were reports of the species from Chitwan National Park during 1980s, convincing evidences of its presence were scarce. Interestingly enough, the species was documented for the first time for science by Brian Houghton Hodgson, who was stationed in Kathmandu as an acting British Resident. He carefully illustrated the animal with the help of a live animal he was brought and wrote a manuscript describing the features.

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Commoners including wildlife enthusiasts may surely assume, upon reading the above, that spotted linsang is an extremely rare species, probably the rarest in Nepal. Before concluding its status, however, it is important to understand it as a species, its habits and the pattern in which this species is captured.

Spotted Linsang

Spotted linsang is found in the south and south-east Asia and its presence has been recorded in primary forests, secondary forests and grasslands. It likes climbing trees still the extent of its arborealism is yet to be studied. Spotted Linsang has been found to use hollows in trees as resting; also dwelling accommodations. It is nocturnal and quite solitary. It hunts on both ground and trees; feeding mostly on small vertebrates.

Looking for Spotted Linsang

Different means are adopted for conducting studies on different species. For elusive and rare species, researchers use camera traps due to the hassles of observing them directly. Camera traps are just like the normal cameras with an added motion & heat sensor, programmed to take photographs whenever organisms move within their arc of influence. Sensor detects the body heat clicking photographs. The camera traps can be left open in the area where researchers suspect their target animal to live and can take picture when the motion of the animals trigger those cameras.

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Spotted linsang is quite an enigma, showing up very rarely even in camera traps. During the last survey carried by Friends of Nature in Annapurna Conservation Area back in 2017, two pictures of the species were captured for an effort of around 4,500 trap days. Putting this into context, one camera trap kept in the open for 24 hours is one trap day and one camera trap kept in the open for 10 days accounts to 10 trap days. Similarly, 10 trap days can also be achieved by keeping 10 camera traps for one day, two camera traps for five days or five camera traps for two days.

An effort of 4,500 trap days can be achieved in variety of ways i.e. by installing 45 camera traps for 100 days, 100 cameras for 45 days or other multitude of ways. The magnitude of the effort during research can be easily understood. Pretty expansive indeed! Spotted linsang rarely shows up even in the camera traps.

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This is the only conclusive study that has proved the existence of the species in Nepal after years of confusion on its status. There was no credible evidence of the species during the one and half years of search in Makalu-Barun National Park. Several other wildlife research efforts in the mid-hills have also failed to document this species prior to 2017.

Any interested observer would settle that the species is extremely rare in Nepal. Even photographs of this species are rare, after all. There are, however, other reasons too for its low capture rate than just its rarity. Small carnivore experts have different opinions on how Spotted Linsang shows up so rarely in camera traps. Will Duckworth of IUCN believes that it’s primarily an ambush hunter waiting for its prey from a strategic location and rarely travels long distances in search of food making it less likely to be shot by the camera traps installed. Many believe that this little carnivore occupies a very small area which often gets sandwiched between two camera traps set to study larger mammals like tiger and leopard resulting in this species being shot rarely.

Current status in Nepal

Classified as a Least Concern by IUCN Red List, Spotted Linsang is currently classified as a Data Deficient species. This means there’s much to study about the species as of now. This is unfortunate in a sense that people conserving wildlife should at least know the status of the species on the basis of which relevant conservation drives need to be planned meticulously.

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April 16, 2019 0 comments

Cyber Crime, selected focus on enter button background

Business & Commerce

Power Industry Vulnerable to Cyberattacks

by Staff Correspondent April 8, 2019

written by Staff Correspondent

The TrickyScribe: Data breaches are significant. Especially when the question of privacy (or lack of it) is made pertinent as far as data is concerned. This is the reason why stringent data protection regulations – like the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act – have been pressed into service.

While data breaches are prevalent, subject of cyber security in the energy sector should be awarded a greater concern. In the recent years, attacks on critical infrastructure have surged and the potential repercussions are known. Loss of data is concerning; but a loss of electricity & water is catastrophic, equally for business and society.

As a result, Information Age makes cyber security one of the top most priorities on the mind of every CTO, technology leader, CEO and board member. And, if it’s not? The hazards could be real. Highlighting the power industry’s vulnerability to cyberattacks, firms working for the nuclear and energy sectors in the US have been warned about a hacking drive.

Hackers used phishing emails to harvest credentials to gain access to their target networks, said a joint report from the US Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation. Disclosing attacks and warning that the hackers in some cases succeeded in compromising the networks of their targets, the report, however, did not identify any specific victims.

Power industry examining intrusions

Cyber Crime, selected focus on enter button background

Historically, cyber actors have strategically targeted the energy sector with various goals ranging from cyber espionage to the ability to disrupt energy systems in the event of a hostile conflict.

A virus dubbed “NotPetya” hit the internet a couple of years back, spreading from initial infections in Ukraine to businesses around the globe. It encrypted data on infected machines, rendering them inoperable and disrupting activities at factories, ports and law firms. This triggered panic amongst the cyber security experts.

E&E News reported that investigators were looking into cyber intrusions this year at multiple nuclear power generators. It said there was no evidence safety systems had been compromised at affected plants.

Worry since 2016

Industrial organizations, including power providers and other utilities, have been worried about the potential for destructive cyberattacks since December last, when hackers cut electricity in Ukraine.

US nuclear power generators SCANA Corp, PSEG and Entergy Corp said they were not affected by the recent cyberattacks. SCANA’s VC Summer nuclear plant in South Carolina shut down on Thursday because of a problem with a valve in the non-nuclear portion of the plant, a spokesman said.

Dominion Energy, another nuclear power generator, said it does not comment on cyber security.
Two cyber security firms said that they had identified the malicious software used in the Ukraine attack, which they christened as Industroyer, warning that it could be easily modified to attack utilities in the US and Europe.

Industroyer is the second piece of malware capable of disrupting industrial processes without the need for hackers to manually intervene. The first one, Stuxnet, was identified in 2010 and is widely believed by security researchers to have been used by the US and Israel to attack Iran’s nuclear program.

The government report said attackers conducted recce to gain information about the individuals whose computers they sought to infect to create “decoy documents” on topics of interest to their targets.

It mentions 11 files being used in the attacks, including malware downloaders and tools that allow the hackers to take remote control of victims’ computers and travel across their networks.

The three largest US oil producers, Chevron Corp, Exxon Mobil Corp and ConocoPhillips, stayed tight-lipped as it declined to comment on their network security.

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April 8, 2019 0 comments

India

Infrastructure Development Taking Toll on Clouded Leopards

by Staff Correspondent April 6, 2019

written by Staff Correspondent

Yadav Ghimirey | The TrickyScribe: Known for the cloud-like spots it has on its hide, Clouded Leopard are most closely related to snow leopards and are in the same subfamily, Pantherinae, as tigers, lions, jaguars, and a true leopard species. Only a few people have personally seen a clouded leopard, either in wild in Southeast Asia or in a zoo. Officially recorded as a species back in 1821, clouded leopard continues to remain shrouded in the same mystery that veiled it 200 years ago.

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With a sturdy build, clouded leopard is on an average larger than small cat species but at the time is smaller than the large cats! Males are generally twice the size of females. They can purr like the small cats; also they have a low, moaning roar, a chuffle, a growl, a hiss and meows as part of their call signs.

**Clouded leopard camera trapped two years back near the village of Tangting (Photo: Friends of Nature)**

Young ones of clouded leopard’s eyes are different from any other cat’s pupils. They never attain a round profile like a big cat’s pupils do. Still they never shrink to vertical slits like a small cat’s pupils do. Instead, they stay in an oblong shape. And then there’s that amazing tail—the longest, in relation to body size, of any cat’s tail, which gives the clouded leopard great balance when strolling along tree branches.

PROFILE

Comparable to domestic dogs in size, they are robust with strong limbs and broad paws. Their small size notwithstanding, they can take down large hoofed animals with this method. It, however, is believed that Clouded leopards hunt on the ground and are thought to eat a variety of birds, squirrels, monkeys and wild pigs. They have a very long tail, equal to their body length which helps them in their arboreal habits.

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Clouded leopard has an added advantage when it comes to hunting. Its ankles can rotate backward enabling it to climb down a tree or cliff headfirst, climb upside down, and even hang from its back feet. This arrangement leaves the powerful front paws free to snatch at prey. Clouded leopards also ambush their prey from the treetops, landing on their target’s back and delivering that single killing bite.

HABITAT

Clouded leopards are typically rain-forest dwellers but can be found in dryer forests as well in Southeast Asia. In areas where clouded leopards share their habitat with tigers and common leopards, the clouded ones seem to be more nocturnal and arboreal in their habits to avoid competition for food. That long, thick tail provides balance in the trees, where the cats seek shelter and resting spots.

BEHAVIOUR PATTERNS

They are very secretive and hence difficult for researchers to study in the wild, despite being a good sized cat. Never common, its population is moving downhill outside of protected areas. Clouded leopards’ main threat to survival is rampant habitat loss from a growing number of farms. The cat is being poached upon for its beautiful coat. It is a mistaken belief that clouded leopard bones and teeth have magical healing powers.

ECOLOGICAL ROLE

Clouded leopards help regulate the population of monkeys, langurs, deers, squirrels and birds by preying upon these prey species and help in maintaining the delicate balance in the ecosystem. Research has shown that a mere presence of these top predators helps in proper functioning of any ecosystem. Clouded leopards are no exception. They’re one of the top predators in the mid-hills of Nepal.

THREATS

Clouded leopard is a beautiful; is equally rare. The rarity can be explained by the fact that they have been confirmed to reside in only 11 of the 77 districts in Nepal. In Annapurna Conservation Area, they have been recorded only on a few locations. With a view to promoting the awareness about clouded leopard and initiating steps for its long term conservation Clouded Leopard Day was recently celebrated in the area.

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It is threatened by anthropogenic activities which include excessive resource extraction from forest, loss of big trees and indiscriminate hunting of ungulates. Currently, infrastructure development is also one of the important threats to clouded leopard’s habitat. Development of hydropower and resulting road construction inside its prime habitat are major concern.

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April 6, 2019 0 comments

India

Rhino Population Moving Uphill in Nepal

by Staff Correspondent April 5, 2019

written by Staff Correspondent

Ramesh Pokhrel | The TrickyScribe: Rhino conservation in Nepal has taken a long journey. Once widespread throughout the lowlands, they were reduced to a few pockets by 1950s; only around 100 rhinos in all. Conservation efforts boosted the population by 1990s but the same took a toll during the political turmoil between 1996 and 2006. Rhino population is increasing; well beyond 600. Efficient park management combined with effective army patrols along with community engagement have allowed Chitwan’s rhinos to resurrect.

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Chitwan National Park (CNP) remains the stronghold of rhino population in Nepal. In its bid to reducing the vulnerability of rhino population to stochastic events—disease and natural disasters—NTNC in collaboration with the Government of Nepal and conservation partners have translocated rhinos to Bardia and Suklaphanta National Parks to create additional viable populations.

Periodic inundation by swollen Himalayan rivers cause regular flooding of alluvial plains along major rivers making conditions favourable for the quick appearance of sprouts and germination to maintain the dominance of Saccharum spontaneum, a variety of grass rhinos graze on, making monsoon floods very critical for rhinos. Oxbow lakes and other open water bodies are also important for rhino population as they spend about 8 hours daily in wallows or streams during high humidity periods (August-September).

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The greater one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), also known as the Indian rhinoceros, is a grey giant, second only to an elephant in size weighing between 2 and 2.5 metric tonnes. Found only in South Asia and South East Asia, the population of greater one-horned rhinoceros was more than 3,500 of late.

The population of rhinos is diminishing feverishly with not more than 2,000 in the wild. Rhinos inhabit the alluvial flood-plain vegetation of sub-tropical climates where water and green grass is available all year. In Nepal, the rhino population was estimated to be around 1,000 in the Chitwan Valley until 1950. Rana rulers had used the area for leisure sport hunting making the areas inaccessible to general public.

Another factor that guarded the area from invasive human settlements was the rampant malaria in the area at that time. After the end of the Rana regime in 1950, however, malaria was eradicated opening the doors of Chitwan leading to deforestation, clearance of wildlife habitat for human settlements, agriculture and urbanization. Not only did this destroy the forest but also affected the wildlife; mainly the large mammals including tigers, elephants and rhinos. Rhino population dipped to as low as 100 in the late 1960s.

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Recognizing the urgency to avert the erratic decline in the numbers of one-horned rhinoceros, Government of Nepal constituted armed Rhino Patrol Unit christened as Gainda Gashti back in 1961, and declared the remaining prime rhino habitats, about 544 square km along Rapti, Narayani and Reu rivers, as the Chitwan National Park (CNP) in 1973. The park was later extended to total coverage area of 932 square km and was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1984 for its richness in biological diversity.

After painstaking joint efforts of Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), the declining rhino population stabilized and begun increasing slowly. This proved that animal population can rebound in case sufficient measures are taken on time. It is an example of a population that was almost on the verge of extinction that has recovered while still maintaining a high genetic diversity.

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April 5, 2019 0 comments

Business & Commerce

EU invites energy infrastructure proposals, to infuse €750 Mn

by Staff Correspondent March 23, 2019

written by Staff Correspondent

The TrickyScribe: In the wake of a renewed push for renewables development, the EU has decided to provide €750 million in funding for clean energy infrastructure. The CEF will accept proposals that support the development of trans-European projects until June 13, 2019. Under its Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the bloc has opened another call for applications to build cross-border energy infrastructure projects. It has already agreed to provide a grant of €323 million to synchronize the regional grid in the Baltic States.

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In particular, it is looking for projects of common interest (PCI) that can make a significant impact on two or more EU countries, while improving competitiveness and energy security. Aside from construction-related projects, the CEF will also consider offering funds for research studies, according to the announcement. The EU launched the CEF in 2014 to financially support energy infrastructure projects until 2020, with a total volume of €5.35 billion. Hitherto, the facility has allocated grants of €3.4 billion to PCI applicants.

In mid-2018, the European Commission proposed increasing the CEF’s 2021-2027 budget to €42.3 billion. Of this, €8.7 billion was to be earmarked for energy projects, while transport initiatives could receive up to €30.6 billion. The remaining €3 billion would be allocated to the digitalization of the continent’s energy infrastructure.

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The EC estimates that upgrades to gas and electricity networks — which are needed to ensure a successful energy transition — could cost around €200 billion through 2030. While these measures are necessary, not all of them are commercially viable, and the market alone would only be able to handle about half of them. “Therefore, the EU is helping to build and fund new energy infrastructure projects all over Europe, as part of its Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E) strategy,” the commission writes.

At a recent PCI event in Brussels, the EU also revealed that the CEF has provided another grant of €323 million to synchronize the Baltic States’ grid. The grants — which were signed in the presence of several key officials, including Miguel Arias Cañete, the EC commissioner for climate action and energy — will be used to reinforce the Baltic grid. The region was long seen as an “energy island,” the EU says, but in recent years it has established interconnections with Poland (LitPol Link), Sweden (NordBalt) and Finland. However, for historical reasons, the Baltic grid is still synchronized with the networks of Russia and Belarus.

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“The synchronization of the Baltic States’ electricity grid with the continental European network (CEN) is an essential political priority for the achievement of the Energy Union,” the EC statement reads. A unified grid with a fully integrated energy market, cross-border energy trading, interconnector capacity and smart grid functionality could help deal with grid fluctuations and reduce the curtailment of variable renewable energy resources. The EU has been working on the project since 2015.

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March 23, 2019 0 comments

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