Floods in Nepal's Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers have severely damaged 11 hydropower projects and essential transmission infrastructure, including the Trishuli Three B substation, leading to a halt in 146.3 megawatts of electricity production. While repairs to the Rasuwagadhi hydropower plant cost over Rs 3.5bn, subsequent floods continued to impact energy infrastructure. In response, the Nepali diaspora in Washington, D.C., raised $20,000 for flood victims, and the World Bank projects a slowdown in Nepal's economic growth to 3.7% due to the widespread damage.

Nepal is intensifying efforts to reopen the Tatopani customs border crossing following flood damage that disrupted key trade routes like Rasuwagadhi and Korala. Discussions between Nepali officials and Chinese Ambassador Zhang Mao Ming focus on diplomatic and technical facilitation to resume trade, as floodwaters have damaged critical infrastructure along the Araniko Highway.

Nepal's overland trade with China has come to a standstill as all three major northern trade routes—Tatopani, Rasuwagadhi, and Korala—have been shut down due to natural disasters including floods and landslides. This disruption, occurring ahead of the crucial festive season, has raised concerns among traders and businesses about the timely arrival of imported goods, with estimates suggesting a 25 to 30 percent price increase for various items.

China has provided Rs 11 million to aid children impacted by the Bhotekoshi floods, with Ambassador Zhang Maoming presenting a check to Minister Sasmit Pokharel. Separately, Vice President Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav discussed flood relief and bilateral relations with Chinese Ambassador Chang Mao Ming, acknowledging China's humanitarian assistance. Nepal also sought Chinese support for reconstructing flood-damaged infrastructure and reopening the crucial Rasuwagadhi–Kerung border crossing.

One of the three units restarted after the June glacial flood. Full restoration expected before next monsoon.

Communications Sustainability - The Nepal floods re-destroyed a repaired hydropower plant following contractual siting lock-in

In Nepal, assets such as the destroyed Rasuwagadhi hydroelectric power plant are contractually bound to defined coordinates for the duration of their commercial life. This set-up renders relocation costly, independently of what is later established about site stability. Three features of the Nepali regime create this situation jointly: generation licences are issued against a defined site for terms of up to fifty years6; power purchase agreements run for twenty-five to thirty years against the output of that licensed site7; and senior debt is secured on the revenue those agreements generate, which makes the lender’s collateral locational in the same sense. A developer concluding that a site had become untenable would face surrender of the licence, re-entry to the permitting ueue, renegotiation of tariff at prevailing rates. They would also face the need to service their debt against no output throughout this process. By contrast, reconstruction at the original site requires no judgement about hazard, and force majeure provisions only suspend performance during an event, but do not provide for relocation. Such a contractual lock-in of infrastructure to a specific site is somewhat analogous to the notion of carbon lock-in, that is, the self-reinforcing persistence of fossil-based technologies, institutions and behaviours...

Le 26 août, sur la face nord du Langtang Lirung, environ 2 kilomètres carrés de roches et de glace situées à 5 150 mètres d’altitude s’effondraient et chutent dans la vallée, 1 400 mètres plus bas. Sept minutes plus tard, un mur d’eau, de glace, de roches et de sédiments dévastait le poste-frontière de Rasuwagadhi, à 22 kilomètres en aval. Ce flot destructeur a poursuivi sa route sur des dizaines de kilomètres au Népal et au Tibet, emportant tout sur son passage.

On the morning of 26 August 2026, the first indication of the scope of the crisis unfolding in Nepal came from CCTV footage showing the Rasuwagadhi border point being inundated with a tsunami-like wall of water and mud. This raw video was quickly followed by images of the widespread devastation, and burgeoning rescue efforts, images captured by Nepal-based visual journalists, including Associated Press (AP) photographer, …

Kathmandu, Sep 15 (SocialNews.XYZ) Passenger movement between Nepal and China has shifted to alternative border points after severe flooding in Nepal's Rasuwa district on August 26 damaged infrastructure at the Rasuwagadhi crossing. Nepal's Department of Immigration said in a statement on Monday evening that the August 26 flood swept through areas around Rasuwagadhi, forcing passengers travelling between Nepal and China, including many Kailash-Manasarovar pilgrims, to use the Tatopani crossing in Sindhupalchok and Hilsa in Humla as alternative routes. The deadly flood damaged key infrastructure, including the immigration office at Rasuwagadhi, and many pilgrims travelling to Kailash-Manasarovar through the route are out of contact since the deadly flood, which has so far killed 1,395 while 5,130 are missing by Monday evening, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

On 8 July, floodwaters surged into the Bhote Koshi River along the Nepal-China border. At least nine people in the Nepali village of Rasuwagadhi were killed and dozens went missing. A major bridge connecting Nepal to China was swept away. The trigger for this devastating flood? A newly formed small lake on top of a glacier that was not visible before March this year. Glacial lake outbursts are known to cause devastating floods, but these have typically been from larger and more well-established lakes. Now, experts are finding that “tiny and short-lived glacial lakes are becoming more hazardous than previously perceived”, said Finu Shrestha, a remote sensing and geo-information analyst at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). Among other reasons, the inability to monitor changes hidden beneath the surface of small glacial lakes means their potential impacts remain undiscovered. Further, when the lakes drain, even small releases can have big impacts downstream due to debris, the shape of river channels and other factors. Floods from small lakes: fast-forming and sensitive What happened at Rasuwagadhi is not the first case of a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) from a smaller lake. In August 2024, a flash flood struck Thame...

Costly infrastructure investment needed to repoen and future proof key border crossing to Tibet

A devastating flood in Rasuwa and Nuwakot has caused widespread damage to Nepal's economy, impacting hydropower, tourism, and trade routes, with significant infrastructure losses. The flood has disrupted key trade points like Rasuwagadhi with China and severed road connectivity in areas like Dhading, while continuous rainfall has led to further highway blockages across the country.

Nepal Telecom has restored its fibre network in Rasuwagadhi and Betrawati, which was damaged by a flash flood on August 26. The first phase of restoration has resumed 1,093 out of 1,544 affected FTTH lines, with remaining services to be restored based on geographical conditions and customer demand.

China has informed Nepal of the indefinite closure of the Tatopani border point, citing potential disaster concerns following recent floods. This closure, along with the disruption of the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung route, has led to a significant rerouting of Nepal-China trade towards the Korala border point in Mustang. The shift is causing logistical challenges and increased pressure on the Korala crossing as Nepal faces potential supply shortages ahead of upcoming festivals.

Heavy rescue equipment from China has reached the disaster-affected Rasuwagadhi area at the Kerung border following the temporary opening of a washed-out section of National Highway G-216. The road restoration allows for accelerated search, rescue, and relief operations, with dozens of excavators and other heavy machines now operating around the Kerung border crossing to aid in locating missing people and clearing damaged roads.

A rescue team has intensified its search for 93 people missing at the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project site following a devastating flash flood in the Bhotekoshi River on August 26. The Independent Power Producers’ Association Nepal (IPPAN) reported that the missing include employees of the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Company, daily wage workers, and construction workers from various companies. Search operations are ongoing, utilizing Nepal Army helicopters and expert teams to assess the affected area.

Sebanyak 46 pekerja PLTA Rasuwagadhi diduga masih hidup setelah banjir di Nepal. Dua pekerja ditemukan selamat usai terjebak di terowongan sembilan hari.

Officials say pair were rescued from Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel in Nepal after being trapped in depth of 170 metres