The Rasuwagadhi border point reopened on Thursday after being closed for nearly six months. The crossing had been completely shut since Ashar 24 after floods washed away the concrete bridge over the Lhende River, which connects Nepal and China. The border point has reopened following the construction of a temporary Bailey bridge by China.
According to Tulsi Prasad Bhattarai, Chief Customs Officer at the Rasuwa Customs Office, empty containers were sent to China early Thursday morning, and containers that had been stranded on the Chinese side will gradually enter Nepal.
During the closure, imports—particularly electric vehicles, fruits, and garments—were severely affected. Before the floods, around 100 containers used to move through the Rasuwagadhi border daily, but the crossing remained largely deserted after Ashar 24.
The Rasuwa Customs Office estimates that around NPR 21 billion in revenue was lost during the period of closure. Although the border has reopened, customs officials said operations will not return to previous levels as the Bailey bridge is narrow and allows only one-way traffic. Heavy vehicles will remain restricted from entering.
Meanwhile, transportation problems persist along the 16-kilometer Rasuwagadhi–Syafrubesi road section due to landslides. Road upgrading work is underway with grant support from the Chinese government, and in several sections the road is still operating on a one-way basis.
The customs office had set a revenue collection target of NPR 3.08 billion for the month of Poush, but with half the month already over, officials said it is certain the target will not be met. They added that it will take time for large-scale imports and revenue collection to recover even after the reopening of the border point.
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