Two Bangladeshi mountaineers –MA Mohit and Ikramul Hasan – are all set to go on an expedition to climb the 23,380-foot high Mt Himlung in the Himalayas next month.
MA Mohit, who previously scaled Mount Everest twice, will lead the expedition to Mt Himlung, which will be the first one ever by Bangladeshis.
The announcement came from a flag-off ceremony at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Friday.
A group of 10 mountaineers from Sweden, Poland, Spain, South Africa, and Bangladesh will summit the peak, Mohit said.
"We will learn a lot from the international mountaineers," Mohit told Dhaka Tribune.
“There are three types of waste bins on the mountains in Nepal. One is for plastic materials, one is for glass items, and one for metals. I did not see anyone littering while climbing in Nepal,” he said.
It is a good sign that ecotourism is booming in Bangladesh, but people need to stop throwing non-biodegradable garbage in the open, he said.
Speaking at the press conference, economist Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman said climate strike is making headlines these days, and this kind of expedition to the Himlung could be a way to celebrate the harmony between human and nature.
“I do not think we are conquering the mountains; we are celebrating and embracing nature,” he said.
Birdwatcher Enam Ul Haque, who also made expeditions to Antarctica and the North Pole, told this correspondent that the Himlung is a 23,380-foot mountain, which is not an average height to climb.
Aspiring mountaineers should keep in mind that physical fitness and good health are the two key things to become a mountaineer, he further added.
The two mountaineers from Bangladesh will leave Dhaka for Nepal on October 5 and summit Himlung within the next 30 days.
Mt Himlung expedition has been planned by Bangla Mountaineering & Trekking Club and sponsored jointly by Ispahani Tea Limited and Arla Foods Bangladesh Limited.
Chargé d'affaires of Nepal embassy Dhan Bahadur Oli was also present at the program.