KATHMANDU: The Tatopani border point, Nepal’s second-largest trade gateway with China, has remained closed for the past two weeks after a landslide blocked the Kodari Highway on August 3.
The landslide at Iku in Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality-2 of Sindhupalchok has made the highway inoperable. Police say debris is still falling from above, while parts of the road have sunk.
Although the Tatopani Customs Office has remained open, no consignments from China have reached the customs yard. More than 600 container trucks bound for Nepal are stranded across the Miteri Bridge, about two kilometers inside Chinese territory.
Traders say perishable goods like fruits and vegetables have started rotting inside the containers. Some traders have resorted to hiring porters to carry goods across the landslide to the Nepali side.
Some cars intended for the NAIMA Nepal Mobility Expo could not arrive, and vehicles meant for the NADA Auto Show, which is scheduled to begin on August 19, are also stuck at the border.
The disruption of the vital trade point with China has also hit vehicle imports. Some cars intended for display at the NAIMA Nepal Mobility Expo could not arrive, and vehicles meant for the NADA Auto Show, which is scheduled to begin on August 19, are also stuck at the border.
Rasuwagadhi customs, Nepal’s largest trading point with China, has remained shut after a flash flood in the Lhendekhola River swept away the bridge linking the two countries on July 8.
Arjun Sapkota, president of the Nepal Truck Container Transport Service, said the landslide has swept away nearly a 2-kilometer stretch of the highway, making not only vehicle movement but also pedestrian crossing extremely difficult. He complained that the government has not made any significant effort to remove the debris and resume vehicular traffic.
Meanwhile, Amit Kumar Shrestha, chief of the Division Road Office, Charikot, said the continuous flow of debris has kept the road blocked. “We will be able to deploy heavy machinery only after the debris flow stops,” he added.
