Nepal; deforestation in the Khumbu, 1986. Stacked firewood outside a Sherpa house at Phakding (altitude 3200 metres). Also shown are carrying baskets (bottom right) and prayer flags attached to thin sticks stuck into the ground. In common with many smallholdings, the ground floor of the house is reserved for animals while the family lives upstairs. By the early 1980s, it was estimated that massive deforestation was contributing to the loss of 240 million cubic metres of topsoil in Nepal each year. Sherpas rely on wood for fuel but lack of chimneys in most homes contribute to the coughs and bronchial congestion common to most. Poor hygiene is prevalent because precious wood must be destroyed to create hot water.