The Tatopani border crossing connecting the Nepal-China border, which was blocked due to a landslide, reopened on Thursday after three days of operation, but has been closed again since Friday morning, the day after.
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The Tatopani border crossing connecting the Nepal-China border, which was closed for three days due to landslides, was closed again on Friday morning, the day after it was reopened.
The Kodari road section, which was closed due to landslides in the Liping area on Monday and the road in the Eco and Daklang areas, was repaired and brought into operation one-way from Thursday evening. Cross-border container movement also began as the road reopened.
However, after incessant rains overnight on Thursday, the border crossing was closed again after the water from a stream flowing from above in the Eco area washed away the road, said Rajesh Bhandari, executive committee member of the Nepal Himalayan Cross-Border Chamber of Commerce. 'The border crossing was reopened from Thursday evening. But the rains overnight caused the water from the stream to enter the road in the Eco area and wash away the road. After that, the border crossing has been closed again,' he said.
According to Bhandari, containers started coming in from China after the road in the Liping, Daklang and Eco areas became one-way. When the road was blocked, about 150 containers carrying apples, oranges, ginger, ready-made materials and various equipment from China were waiting to cross the Kodari border. Of these, only 20 containers have crossed, and most have been blocked by landslides. More than 45 containers loaded with materials worth crores of rupees were also blocked in various places in China, including Nyalam.
Since the road was closed, the containers that were about to arrive have been stuck on the road. After the road was opened on Thursday evening, those containers started entering Nepal. But on Friday morning, the road was blocked again, and transportation has been stopped again.
The repeated blockages have further frustrated businessmen. Locals say that a long-term solution has become challenging as about 175 households are located on the eco-landfall and the Bhotekoshi River is continuously eroding downstream. Sharda Prasad Parajuli, executive member of the Himalayan Cross-Side Chamber of Commerce, said that many containers carrying apples have had to be diverted to the Kerung border as the problem of road blockages recurs every year. "We are stressed that we will be forced to throw away the rotting fruits in the containers like last year. When will the government see our suffering?" he said.
