KATHMANDU: Tatopani, one of the key and shortest northern trade routes between Nepal and China, has partially resumed operations after remaining disrupted for 36 days.
The border point had been affected for nearly six weeks after the Araniko Highway was blocked by floods, landslides and road subsidence triggered by the monsoon.
The Road Division Office, Charikot, temporarily opened a track on Monday, allowing cargo containers stranded on the Nepali side to reach the Tatopani Customs yard.
The movement of the long-stalled containers is expected to ease import and export activities through the border point. However, road conditions remain difficult in several sections.
Although roads have been reopened in the Kodari and Dakkhlang areas along the Araniko Highway, transportation remains disrupted at Liping Bazaar, where a section of the road has subsided.
Fruit trader Rajendra Bhandari said traders have suffered significant financial losses due to repeated closures caused by floods and landslides.
He urged the government to immediately ensure a safe and regular road connection, particularly as this is the peak period for importing goods ahead of major festivals.
Ramhari Karki, president of the Nepal Trans-Himalayan Border Commerce Association, said problems have resurfaced this year at the same locations where road damage occurred last year.
He said the government had initiated a tender process for road construction in the Kodari area last year, but the work could not move forward after it was decided that the Chinese side would undertake the construction.
Karki said the early commencement of the planned Kodari road construction by China could help prevent similar disruptions in the future.
Association General Secretary Ramchandra Parajuli said road problems along the Tatopani route have not been fully resolved since the 2015 earthquake.
He said poor road conditions have made it difficult for traders to transport goods imported from China and have also affected government revenue collection.
Netra Bilas Paudel, an engineer at the Road Division Office, Charikot, said efforts to reopen the road are being expedited.
He said tracks have been opened in Dakkhlang and Kodari and small vehicles have resumed operation, while road improvement work is underway to allow large cargo containers to pass.
Paudel said authorities plan to remove some houses located along the roadside at Liping to reopen the subsided section within a few days.
Tatopani Customs Chief Customs Officer Dipendra Prakash Giri said customs revenue collection has been affected for a prolonged period due to the area’s geographical risks.
He said cargo containers have remained stranded on both the Chinese and Nepali sides, making it difficult to transport goods to the customs yard. The road from the customs yard to Kathmandu has also suffered subsidence at several locations, with temporary traffic arrangements in some sections.
Road problems along the Tatopani route have remained unresolved on a long-term basis since the 2015 earthquake. Every monsoon, road subsidence, landslides and river erosion repeatedly disrupt the route, affecting trade and business.
Stakeholders have called for both immediate road repairs and long-term infrastructure development to ensure the regular and safe operation of the strategically important Tatopani border point.
Businesspeople and local residents have urged the government to give the Tatopani road high priority and end the recurring annual disruption during the monsoon.
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