Teenage boys and girls frequently measure height in their growing age. I remember those days when I measured my height without noticing others. After certain age everyone stops their measurement. But measurement of Everest does not stop, it’s still rising!
Though it was not conquered before 1953, its height was measured by a Bengali in 1856. How it was measured? I was very amazed to know it was. School trigonometry was used to measure its height, as it was not possible to ride at the top of the mountain that time. It’s simple, like the way school students measure the height of a tree without riding on the tree.
Height of Everest is a disputed one, various measurements gave various results. Broadly-accepted height of 8,848m was first recorded by an Indian survey in 1955. In 1999 an American team recorded a height of 8,850 by using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which Nepal does not recognize. There is another problem; Everest is always covered under about four meters thick snow. Question is what will be the actual height? Nepal prefers snow height and China rock height. Last year both countries agreed to recognize the 8,848m height. But Nepal government is furious that Chinese officials often use the snow height.
Moreover the height of Mount Everest is not constant; it’s rising due to the shift of continental plates between China, India and Nepal. India is gradually going beneath China and Nepal.
Now the Nepalese government has decided to measure the height again to end the row. Nepal government spokesman Gopal Giri says, now they have the technology to measure, so for the first time they are going to measure which would take two years. Three different stations will be used to measure with GPS.
