KATHMANDU: The Tatopani border, Nepal’s second-largest trade gateway with China, reopened on Thursday after being shut for 19 days due to a landslide.
A landslide at Ikhu in Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality-2 of Sindhupalchok had blocked the Kodari Highway, the only road to the border, since August 3. The road was cleared and reopened from 4 pm on Thursday, according to the Department of Roads (DoR).
A team from the Division Road Office, Charikot, had worked continuously to remove debris over the past few days.
According to Dr Bijay Jaisi, the director general of the DoR, said drainage and slope protection works are also underway as the site is prone to recurring landslides and mudslides.
Engineers are building gabion walls and other structures to prevent fresh blockages. Likewise, a separate team of experts is studying the area to find a long-term solutions, according to the DoR.
Heavy trucks and containers have begun operating on the road since Thursday afternoon, according to Shubharaj Nyaupane, chief of the Federal Road Supervision and Monitoring Office in Kathmandu. “Technical staff and machines have been deployed in the area to keep traffic moving,” he added.
Meanwhile, with the reopening of the road, stuck containers have started leaving for Kathmandu after completing customs procedures. “Ten containers have already arrived for customs clearance. Similarly, eight to 10 containers have also left for China,” Chief Customs Officer Rajendra Prasad Chudal said.
