KATHMANDU, Aug 28: The Bhotekoshi flood has dealt a major blow to Nepal’s import trade, sweeping away hundreds of containers carrying billions of rupees worth of goods brought in for the upcoming festival season.
Clothing, footwear, electronic goods, garlic, onions, ginger and fruits imported for Dashain, Tihar and other major festivals were among the goods destroyed by the flood. Traders in Kathmandu’s New Road, Bhotahity and Ranjana Galli areas now face major financial losses.
The disaster has also destroyed the Rasuwagadhi customs yard, while landslides have kept the Tatopani border route disrupted for about a month.
The human toll has compounded the economic losses. Customs officials, agents and truck drivers who had travelled to Rasuwagadhi to handle incoming goods are among those reported missing.
The Rasuwagadhi dry port and customs yard, built with billions of rupees in investment, have been devastated. Hundreds of parked cargo containers and newly imported electric vehicles were swept away by the flood.
Jayant Kumar Agrawal, secretary general of the Nepal Overseas Export Import Association, said virtually all infrastructure in the border area had been destroyed.
“Neither Rasuwagadhi nor Tatopani is likely to reopen soon because there is virtually no infrastructure left. Everything has been turned into a riverbed,” Agrawal said. He said 14 customs employees, along with customs agents, bank employees and drivers, remain unaccounted for.
He urged the government to prioritise rescue and relief operations, warning that the situation could worsen without immediate action.
Parshuram Dahal, president of the RB Complex Business Association in New Road, said traders have lost contact with many drivers and helpers who had gone to China. Goods imported for the festival season had already reached customs but were destroyed by the flood and landslides, he said.
The government is also trying to reopen the Tatopani border point. Although an alternative road has been built after clearing landslides on the Nepal side, Chinese authorities have not yet allowed containers to be released.
Dipendra Prakash Giri, chief customs officer at Tatopani, said communication with Chinese officials is currently limited to messages through a designated focal person.
Pressure grows at Mustang’s Korala border
With little prospect of reopening Rasuwagadhi and Tatopani soon, the Department of Customs has advised traders to use the Korala border point in Mustang as an alternative.
Korala faces less flood and landslide risk because it lies on relatively flat terrain. However, traders say the remote border point lacks the customs infrastructure, wide roads and warehouses available at Rasuwagadhi and Tatopani.
Mustang customs chief Bidur Chudal said cargo vehicles are currently operating through Korala despite limited infrastructure on the Nepali side.
“We are operating with basic infrastructure about 14 kilometres from the border,” Chudal said. “We do not have facilities like those on the Chinese side, but the border point is operating and vehicles are arriving.”
Interest in importing electric vehicles through Korala has also increased. Chudal said 100 BYD vehicles and 63 vehicles from Foton had recently entered Nepal through the border, with vehicles from other manufacturers also expected. People’s News Monitoring Service
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