Impact of the Bhotekoshi River Flood on Timure
A massive flood on the Bhotekoshi river has left the remote border town of Timure in Rasuwa district completely inaccessible by road. This has disrupted vital trade and transport, creating significant challenges for the local population and businesses.
The supraglacial outburst flood has destroyed two critical sections of the road between Syaphrubesi and Timure, a 16-kilometre stretch that connects Nepal to the Chinese border. Landslides and riverbank erosion have washed away nearly a kilometre of road at various points, and the Nepal-China Friendship (Miteri) Bridge at Rasuwagadhi has been swept away. This has halted all bilateral trade through the Rasuwa customs, causing major economic setbacks.
Kami Chhiring Tamang, ward chairperson of Gosainkunda Rural Municipality-2, highlighted the severity of the damage to transport infrastructure. “The government must immediately prioritise road-opening and restoring the border crossing,” he said, demanding urgent action.
With no road access to Timure, the impact on daily life is profound. Food supply, emergency healthcare, and movement are all affected. Tamang explained, “Without road access, we’re left with no choice but to hire expensive helicopters.” The cost of transporting food has become a major concern for the community.
Around 50 trucks, including four carrying apples and several loaded with hydropower equipment, are stranded at the customs yard. Chandiraj Gelal, an officer at Rasuwagadhi Customs Office, mentioned that 35 goods carriers from Nepal en route to China are stuck in Timure due to the collapsed road and bridge.
Over 600 labourers from Timure, Dahal Phedi, and Thuman are manually loading and unloading goods at the customs yard. Under normal conditions, they earn Rs8,000 to Rs10,000 per truck, but in emergencies, fees can rise to Rs60,000-Rs80,000. However, with the road blocked, this source of income has disappeared.
Shubha Raj Neupane, chief of the Federal Road Supervision and Monitoring Office in Kathmandu, mentioned that efforts are underway to reopen one-way traffic within a week. “We’re carving paths out of the cliffs where feasible and planning to reinforce sections close to the river,” he said. A team of engineers is on-site for an assessment.
According to Neupane, the Syaphrubesi to Rasuwagadhi section is 16 km long, with three km from Syaphrubesi and four km from Timure currently usable. However, the remaining nine km, especially around the Lingling area, is severely damaged. The road typically handles around 100 trucks daily, and efforts are being made to reopen trade before the Dashain festival, which falls in September.
Neupane also noted that Chinese authorities are preparing to build a temporary Bailey bridge over the Lhende river. Once completed, this will allow container trucks to resume cross-border travel.
The flash flood, originating from Tibet’s Lhende river and surging into the Bhotekoshi river, has caused extensive destruction in northern Rasuwa, a mountain district in Bagmati Province. The devastation downstream has been immense, damaging infrastructure, sweeping away vehicles, and leaving at least nine dead and 19 people missing.
