Nepal has come up with a quota system setting the maximum number of climbers that will be permitted to scale the Everest in a desperate bid to prevent overcrowding on the world’s tallest peak, Kathmandu Post reported.

The South Asian country is gearing up for  a record number of mountaineers this season beginning May.

Nepal’s Department of Tourism issued the directive on Wednesday saying a specified number of mountaineers, selected on the basis of their climbing permit numbers, would be allowed to make summit attempt during the first “weather window” that becomes available after the ropes and ladders are fixed up to the top.

Another specified number will be allowed to make attempts at the summit during the second weather window, or a period of good weather when it is safe to climb, and so on, the report said.

If the plan fails, the expedition outfitters will coordinate among themselves and limit numbers to a maximum of 170 individuals in one weather window, the Department of Tourism said.

According to Guinness World Records, the highest number of people to successfully summit the Everest on a single day is 354, with 212 climbers from the Nepal side, as recorded on May 23, 2019.

This year, in the midst of the second wave of Covid-19, the number of permits issued is expected to hit another record high. As of Wednesday, the department has issued climbing permits to 377 individuals.

“Based on the current trend, we estimate the number of permits to be close to 400,” said Mira Acharya, director of the Department of Tourism.