Rasuwa Timure Customs Trade Normal, Dry Port Construction Stalled

Rasauwa. Trade activities at Rasuwa Timure customs, affected for six months by the Lhende Khola flood a year ago, are now back to normal. However, the construction of a dry port, being built with a Chinese investment of over two billion rupees, has been left in limbo.

Although about 80 percent of the construction work was completed, the flood damaged the warehouse, embankment, and parking areas. The administrative building remained unaffected. The Chinese company has not returned to work since the flood. The Nepali government has also made no efforts to continue the port construction.

Although related to customs, the customs office does not handle port construction. This responsibility lies with the Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Board. Technical Director of the Board, Yuvak Dangol, stated that there has been no discussion on how to proceed with the port construction after the incident. 'Work stopped after the incident. There has been no discussion or decision on how to move forward,' he said. No budget has been allocated for the yard and the port.

The government has two options for building the port. The first option is to coordinate with the Chinese government and bring the Chinese company back to work. The second option is for the Nepali government to build it if the Chinese government does not. The port construction, with a Chinese government investment of two billion and sixteen crore rupees, began in November 2019. The target was to complete it in 30 months, but the work could not progress due to the coronavirus pandemic.

After the incident, the construction company's project manager, Yang Li, met with the then Executive Director of the Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Board, Ashish Gajurel. Manager Li suggested that the location was not suitable for building the port and recommended finding another place. Nepal has not offered a new alternative, and China is not ready to build the port there. Therefore, the Chinese company has not returned to work.

The flood on June 24, 2025, washed away the Miteri bridge at the border. Trade and movement are now operating via a Bailey bridge built by China in place of the Miteri bridge. The yard and the under-construction port located about 2.5 kilometers down in Timure have not yet been rebuilt. Customs checks are being conducted in the sheds of the yard that survived the flood, according to Rasuwa Customs Office official Prem Subedi. 'The work at the yard was affected by the flood, and checks are currently being carried out in the damaged yard,' he said. The dry port, under construction for seven years, has been halted since the flood.

A unified customs building and two small and large buildings for security agencies are under construction at the border. Apart from the bridge, the flood did not cause any other damage in the border area, so these buildings are safe. Subedi informed that the passenger branch of customs, food testing center, quarantine, and lab will be housed in a new building. According to him, both before and after the flood, transportation and goods inspection at the border have been affected. 'Before the flood, there was a concrete Miteri bridge. After that bridge collapsed, there is a temporary iron bridge. Containers with heavy loads cannot pass through at once,' he said.

He also mentioned that there is a security risk for goods imported and exported by traders after the flood. 'Inside, there was a large space where inspection could be done even during water flow, and goods were secure. After the flood, there is no space, and no warehouse,' he said. 'Traders wait there. They are also afraid of losing their goods.' He stated that customs inspection has to be carried out in the debris because a very large area is required, and there is no other space nearby.

A preliminary report stated that the flood caused a total damage of 66.28 billion rupees to customs infrastructure, vehicles under inspection, hydropower projects, and roads. The preliminary report released after the flood mentioned physical damage worth 912 million rupees to the port structures. Damage worth approximately 705.1 million rupees was caused to the customs office, goods in the customs yard, vehicles, containers, and other machinery and equipment.

Significant physical damage was also caused to the structures of the Miteri bridge, customs yard, Galchi-Trishuli-Mailung-Syabrubenshi-Rasuwagadhi road section, Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Company, Timure EV Charging Center, Langtang Bhote Koshi Hydropower Project, Chilime Hydropower Company, Upper Trishuli 'A' Hydropower Project, Trishuli Three 'B' Hub Station, Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project, Nepal Electricity Authority's Rasuwa distribution center, Gosainkunda, and Uttar Gaya Hydropower Project. Although the hydropower companies have resumed operation, the damage caused by erosion to the customs yard, under-construction port, and the Syabrubenshi-Rasuwagadhi road section remains the same today. Photo: Prakashchandra Timilsena/Nepal Photo Library