The flooded Bhotekoshi River on Saturday morning, September 28, swept away the bailey bridge at Larcha in Sindhupalchok district which connected the main office of the Tatopani Customs with China, bringing the trade with the northern neighbour via Tatopani-Khasa route to a standstill.
The bridge located near the customs office was swept away at around 10 am, said Customs Officer Surya Prasad Kaphle who is also the information officer at the Tatopani Customs Office. The bridge was located around 7 km from the Nepal-China border.
The 40 feet containers bring the goods to the customs yard from China, which are reloaded to the trucks and sent to Kathmandu. On average, the Tatopani Customs receive around 22 containers daily, according to Kaphle.
Nepal conducts most of its trade with China through the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung and Tatopani-Khasa routes.
There have also been reports of landslides in the Nepali side of the border affecting the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung route. But, the NBA could not verify it. Attempts to reach the official at the Rasuwa Customs Office were unsuccessful.
Read: Poor Communication, Roads Disrupt Cross-Border Trade with China, Traders say
Nepal has witnessed a continuous downpour since Thursday, September 26, which have triggered floods and landslides across the country, destroying lives and properties.
According to Kaphle, a motorable bridge located around 700 metres from the border has also been damaged by the roaring Liping River. “We are, however, yet to get the details of the damage,” he said.
In the absence of an alternative route amid an increase in the flow of rivers, the trade with China via Tatopani has been totally disrupted.
With the repair works unlikely to start soon in light of the upcoming festival season, the traders say they are the one to bear the brunt of this destruction.
Traders import goods in large volume, which mostly includes readymade clothes, electrical equipment and fruits, from China every year targeting the Dashain, Tihar and Chhath festivals. Dashain, this year, begins on October 3. Around one third of the yearly trade happens at this time of the year, they say.
Ashok Shrestha, Former President of the Nepal Trans Himalayan Border Commerce Association, said that the loss of the bailey bridge at Larcha will severely affect the cross border trade.
“The state needs to immediately take the initiative to install and repair the bridges where necessary,” said Shrestha.
Tatopani transit had mostly remained closed until last year after suffering a double blow–the 2015 earthquake and international border closure following the spread of Covid-19.
Additionally, the Bhotekoshi River has also caused damage to the foundation of the customs yard.
“It seems the foundation was developed above a boulder,” said Kaphle. “The previous floods have eroded the boulder and the recent flooding has added to the damage.”
It might not become an issue once the flow and level of water level in Bhotekoshi return to normal, he added. But, we cannot say it won’t cause damage if the downpour continues.
