Traffic is closed in more than half a dozen places in the Syafrubansi-Rasuwagadhi section due to the flooding of Bhotekoshi. 13 days after the flood damaged the road, one-way operation was started from July 4.
What you should know
The Syafrubansi-Rasuwagadhi road section, which carries more than 100 freight vehicles a day, is deserted at this time. Last June 24, the floods in the Lhende River washed away the bridge connecting the border, and the goods could not be delivered, so now the Rasuwagadhi customs border has also come to a standstill.
Traffic is closed in more than half a dozen places in the Syafrubansi-Rasuwagadhi section due to the flooding of Bhotekoshi. 13 days after the flood damaged the road, one-way operation was started from July 4.
Again after 11 days, the traffic has come to a standstill after the floods washed away the roads for the second time on July 14. Now, even after 12 days of flooding, the road has not been operational. When traffic is stopped, if someone gets sick in the village, it is necessary to call for a helicopter.
It is 16 km from Syafrubansi to Rasuwagadhi. Khadglal Shrestha, head of the Galchi-Trishuli-Mailung-Safrubensi-Rasuwagadhi road planning office, said that even the constructed road was being dug from below by Bhotekoshi. Now three machines are being deployed to open the track. Floods have damaged roads in Kuling, Chhendung, Tatopani, Timure, Ghattekhola and Rasuwagadhi sections.
The project has said that there are more problems in 400 meters by making different sections. He said that it will take time to build the road from Timure towards Rasuwagadhi because it has been washed away by floods. "This section is very dangerous," he said, "so there is no way that the road can be opened within this time."
'Before opening the road track, the river will dig from below and create problems, even if the road track is opened, it is not being solved permanently,' he said, 'Again, the amount of current in the water of Bhotekoshi is high, so the erosion work has not been stopped.' "This is not an evergreen road, it is a dirt road," he said, "which has caused the problem." The road department said that the section from Syafrubensi to Rasuwagadhi was difficult and had to be constructed by cutting the wall. He claims that the road will be built before the temporary Beilibridge bridge connecting the border is built by China.
Director General of Roads Department Vijay Jaisi said that due to the complex geography and rains, there is a problem in getting the roads operational on time. "Bhotekoshi has cut the road in 14 places, the machine stuck in Bhir while opening the track has been removed after 9 days," he said. At most, we are working to bring the road into operation within the next two weeks.'
The road department says that it is working so that the cargo vehicles can be moved in consideration of the festival. Tulsi Prasad Bhattarai, Chief Customs Officer of Rasuwa Customs Office, said that although China has started building bridges, floods are causing problems. "The road that was built to bring construction materials to build the bridge was swept away by the flood, now it seems that the materials for the construction of the bridge have been washed away," he said, "if the flood does not cause problems, the bridge will be built by the end of August." He said that four/five machines have been mobilized towards China.
Rasuwa customs post is deserted after the June flood. According to the customs office, the cargo vehicles stuck in the yard have been removed. "Four vehicles that cannot be removed are inside the yard," he said, "150 electric vehicles are also parked around Timure because the road is damaged."
Two weighing bridges (Dharmakanta) that measure the weight of cargo vehicles entering and exiting the customs yard, one on 24 June and the other on 14 July, were washed away by the flood. 11 electric vehicles are also kept in the yard in a non-working condition after being damaged by the flood. Two years ago, yard construction was started in about 58 plantations with a subsidy of 2.16 billion rupees from the Chinese government.
The flood swept away when the construction was in its final stages. The Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Committee has said that it is studying to find an alternative. As the festival is approaching, as the border is closed, the businessmen are demanding that it be put into operation quickly.
