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.
