Landslide leaves 1,500 containers en route to Nepal stranded in China

By Chitra Kumar Mijar,Sindhupalchok, Aug. 30: Continuous rainfall has triggered a landslide in the Eco section of the Bahrabise–Kodari road, blocking access to the Tatopani customs point and leaving more than 1,500 cargo containers stranded on the Chinese side.

Although the road, which had remained obstructed for three weeks due to the landslide, was reopened on 23 August, fresh landslides have once again blocked the Kodari section. 

According to Ram Hari Karki, President of the Nepal Trans-Himalayan Border Commerce Association, the containers en route to Tatopani customs are now stuck in various areas, including the Chinese side of the Friendship Bridge, Khasa, Shigatse, and Nyalam. Despite a temporary resumption in transport when the rains briefly subsided, the road was closed again within four days due to renewed rainfall.

A 4-kilometre stretch of road from the border areas of Liping, Kodari, to Tatopani continues to be frequently disrupted by monsoon-induced landslides. During the four days when the road was functional, over 60 cargo containers carrying goods were able to reach Tatopani customs for clearance and have since made their way to Kathmandu. 

In the same period, more than 35 empty containers returned to China from Nepal. However, with the road now closed again due to another landslide in the Eco section, the remaining goods-laden containers are stuck in Chinese territory, said Sujit Basnet, Vice-President of the Association.

On the Nepali side, cargo containers are scattered and parked in areas like Kodari Bazaar and Liping Bazaar near the Eco landslide zone.

Containers carrying goods intended for the upcoming Dashain and Tihar festivals are being parked in expensive Chinese warehouses, incurring high storage fees. According to Buddha Raj Basnet, President of the Sindhupalchok Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the continuous rainfall has prevented authorities from clearing the landslide, as debris continues to slide down. He further warned that attempting to clear the road prematurely could trigger additional landslides from Lalbir Chowk and Kodari Monastery, located above the landslide-prone area.

The Road Division Office in Charikot has also stated that road clearance will only begin once the rainfall stops.

During the previous three-week closure caused by the Eco landslide, traders resorted to hiring porters to manually transport goods across the landslide zone. 

Perishable items such as apples, kiwis, garlic, mangoes, onions, pears, grapes, and other fruits and spices began to rot inside stranded containers, prompting traders to take this measure. 

The goods were later reloaded into containers and cleared through Tatopani customs before being transported to Kathmandu, according to fruit trader Sharad Prasad Parajuli.

He added that the additional transportation cost caused by manually carrying goods across the landslide area will ultimately burden consumers.