KATHMANDU: Nepal has sought China's assistance to rebuild the Syaphrubesi-Rasuwagadhi road, a key trade route with its northern neighbour, that was severely damaged in last month's devastating flash floods.
The flash floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal, killing nearly 1,400 people and leaving more than 5,000 missing.
The roughly 16-km road linking Syaphrubesi with the Rasuwagadhi border crossing was being upgraded under an NRs 6.5-billion Chinese-funded project when the floods swept away large sections, severely damaging the border crossing and cutting a major trade link between the two countries, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.
According to the preliminary estimates made by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the total recovery of the damaged road between Rasuwagadhi and Galchhi will cost around NRs 55 billion (around USD 364 million).
"China has given us a verbal commitment to provide assistance, although a written agreement has not yet been signed," Infrastructure Development Minister Sunil Lamsal told the newspaper on Saturday.
"The route is not only a trade corridor between Nepal and China. There are many settlements along it as well," Lamsal said.
"For now, we are preparing to use a temporary track to keep the route to Rasuwagadhi open. In the long term, we need to build a safer road, but for the time being we will make do with a temporary track."
Lamsal said Nepal had also sent a proposal to China seeking assistance to restore the border point and that discussions on various alternatives were continuing.
The Rasuwagadhi border point, located about 152 km north of Kathmandu, had resumed operations on January 1 after a major flood in July 2025 swept away the Miteri bridge and inundated the customs yard at Timure.
Rasuwagadhi has emerged as Nepal's principal northern trade route with China after the Araniko Highway and the Tatopani border crossing suffered repeated disruptions, particularly following the 2015 earthquake, the report said.
The August 26 disaster completely destroyed the border point and surrounding areas.
Customs officials said it was no longer possible to rebuild the customs office and other facilities at their former locations.