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The Rasuwagadhi border crossing is being hurriedly rebuilt after the devastating floods that swept through China’s Lende Khola caused extensive damage. The Chinese side has temporarily reopened the crossing by installing makeshift structures at Lende Khola in Rasuwagadhi.

Reconstruction is underway with work progressing through the temporary structures built for bridge construction. Eyewitnesses report that China has deployed around 100 technicians along with heavy equipment to carry out daily repairs at the Rasuwagadhi crossing, located 15.5 kilometers from Syafrubensi. On the Nepali side, the District Administration Office, Rasuwa, has mobilized a small team of workers with two heavy machines to support and facilitate the work.

When the checkpoint was fully operational, it generated about Rs 30m in daily revenue. The Chinese side has now taken steps to reconstruct the crossing after the floods washed away the motorable bridge it built 12 years ago.

Rasuwa Chief District Officer Rajesh Panthi said China has also begun constructing a Bailey bridge on the Nepal side of the border. He added that traffic flow is expected to improve once the temporary bridge becomes operational.

Following the collapse of the concrete bridge connecting Nepal and China, Chinese engineers are preparing structures for a Bailey bridge as an alternative. The district administration has been closely monitoring progress on both sides.

According to the District Administration Office, China will formally begin constructing the Bailey bridge at Rasuwagadhi on Saturday. Workers are building diversion routes on the Chinese side by placing hump pipes in Lende Khola, while complementary work is expected to accelerate on the Nepal side. Panthi said the Bailey bridge could be operational by Bada Dashain or Tihar. The construction of temporary diversion structures has also enabled many Nepali workers based in Kerung, China, to return home.

Meanwhile, the Syafrubensi-Rasuwagadhi road section, part of the tri-nation trade route, has reopened to one-way traffic after flood damage. Authorities have urged travelers to exercise caution while using the road.

The current account remained at a surplus of Rs 78.14 billion in the first month of the current fiscal year against the surplus of Rs 33.08 billion in the same period of the previous year, according to the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB). 

"In the US Dollar terms, the current account registered a surplus of Rs 561 million in the review period against a surplus of Rs 246.8 million in the same period of the previous year," the NRB shared on Monday releasing the Current Macroeconomic and Financial Situation of Nepal based on one month data ending mid-August. 

In the first month of the current fiscal year, Rs 691.5 million foreign direct investment (equity only) was received, while the amount was nearly Rs 800 million in the same period of the previous year.

In the review period, net capital transfer amounted to Rs 1.04 billion. In the same period of the previous year, such transfers amounted to Rs 223.2 million. 

Likewise, the Balance of Payments (BOP) remained at a surplus of Rs 89.30 billion in the review period. Such a surplus was Rs 40.90 billion in the previous year, the NRB stated.

The gross foreign exchange reserves increased 4.8 percent to Rs 2806.04 billion in mid-August 2025 from Rs 2677.68 billion in mid-July 2025. Of the total foreign exchange reserves, the reserves held by the NRB increased 4.0 percent to Rs 2511.45 billion in mid-August from Rs 2414.64 billion in mid-July. Reserves held by banks and financial institutions increased 12 percent to Rs 294.58 billion in mid-August from Rs 263 billion in mid-July. 

The NRB shared that the foreign exchange reserves of the banking sector is sufficient to cover the prospective merchandise imports of 20.4 months, and merchandise and services imports of 16.6 months based on the imports of the first month of 2025/26.

The Nepali migrant workers sent Rs 177.41 billion in remittance in the first month of the current fiscal year, according to the central bank. "Remittance inflows increased 29.9 percent to Rs 177.41 billion in the first month of 2025/25. Remittance inflow had increased 17.7 percent to Rs 136.60 billion in the same period of the previous year," the Nepal Rastra Bank stated in the Current Macroeconomic and Financial Situation of Nepal based on one month data ending mid-August.

Likewise, the Bank stated that the net secondary income (net transfer) reached Rs 193.85 billion in the first month of the current fiscal year. Such income was Rs 148.08 billion in the same period of the previous year.

The number of Nepali workers taking first-time approval for foreign employment stands at 44,466 and taking approval for renew entry stands at 23,644. In the same period of the previous year, such numbers were 36,928 and 22,647 respectively.

The Mechi Customs Office, which suffered damages during the Gen-Z protests last Tuesday, has resumed its service today.

The office activities- regulation of import and export- were disrupted owing to the vandalism and arson. 

Information Officer at the office, Ishwor Kumar Humagain, informed that the office works resumed after buying new computers, laptops and other essentials to run the office. "There is nothing left safe- neither physical infrastructures nor other items. So, we had no option but to make new purchases; some donated to us during this crisis," he said, adding that it has helped bring into operation the import and export works again.

The representatives of the Mechi Industry and Commerce Association had met the office Chief Harihar Paudel on Sunday and urged resumption of the service. 

Meanwhile, the Association has appealed to all industrialists and entrepreneurs to return to normal business as the festival was approaching fast.

Similarly, another customs office at Bhadrapur also began operating its service on Sunday. It had also received damages with looting, vandalism and torches during the protest last Tuesday.