Flood-Hit Nepal Accelerates Bridge Repairs, Road Restoration with India, China Support

KATHMANDU, Sept 8: Nepal has stepped up efforts to restore crucial road connections destroyed by devastating flash floods, seeking temporary bridge support from India and China as authorities race to reconnect communities cut off by the disaster.

The death toll from the August 26 catastrophe reached 1,356 as of Monday, while 4,994 people were still reported missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA). Authorities have rescued 13,396 people so far.

The disaster was triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border, sending the Bhotekoshi River surging downstream. The powerful floods swept away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and caused extensive damage to hydropower infrastructure across northern and central parts of the country.

Nepal has requested temporary bridges from both India and China, with both countries responding positively to the appeal.

China has already delivered two 100-metre Bailey bridges to the Korala border crossing in Mustang, according to a report by The Kathmandu Post.

Infrastructure Damage Runs Into Billions

The Department of Roads has estimated damage to roads and bridges at around NPR 30 billion, while reconstruction could require nearly NPR 50 billion.

The floods destroyed 41 motorable bridges between Rasuwa and Chitwan and partially damaged four others. Of the 63 bridges along the corridor, only 18 remain intact.

Several important transport routes have also been severed. In Rasuwa, the floods cut the road connection with Nuwakot, while the concrete bridge at Furke Khola was washed away, disrupting the direct route between Dhadingbesi and the Prithvi Highway.

The Department of Roads has begun clearing debris and reopening damaged road sections to facilitate the installation of temporary bridges, the newspaper reported, quoting Shubharaj Neupane, deputy director general and spokesperson for the department.

The Nepali Army is also installing an Acrow bridge at Devighat in Nuwakot as part of efforts to restore road connectivity.

Transporting Temporary Bridges a Major Challenge

Nepal’s Department of Roads currently has 11 Bailey bridges, each measuring up to 48 metres. However, getting the structures to disaster-hit locations has emerged as a major logistical hurdle because access roads to several sites were themselves destroyed.

Sushil Babu Dhakal, joint secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, said authorities first need to reopen damaged tracks before the bridges can be transported.

“Even where Bailey bridges are available, there is no road to transport them to the sites. Work is underway to reopen the tracks damaged by the floods,” Dhakal said.

India has also offered to provide Bailey bridges to support Nepal’s reconstruction efforts.

Body Identification Adds to Recovery Challenges

The extensive infrastructure destruction has complicated rescue and recovery operations, while authorities continue to face difficulties identifying victims recovered from the floodwaters.

Only 98 bodies had been identified and handed over to relatives as of Monday, according to the NDRRMA.

Officials said many recovered bodies were severely damaged, decomposed or found in parts after being carried downstream, making identification particularly difficult.

The disaster also claimed at least 43 lives on the Chinese side of the border, while more than 500 people were reported missing in Tibet, according to Chinese media reports.

With key transport corridors destroyed, Nepal’s immediate priority remains reopening access routes and installing temporary crossings while longer-term reconstruction of roads and bridges gets underway.