Rasuwagadhi Flood: Damages, Repairs, and Hydropower; What Do We Know So Far?
Rasuwagadhi border point, a key trade gateway between Nepal and China, suffered severe damage in a flash flood that occurred in the wake of July 8. Initially believed to be the result of incessant rainfall, the flood has been revealed to have occurred due to a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) that occurred in Pyurepu Glacier, located within the Nepal-China border area, in the upper catchment of Bhotekoshi River.
As per the Rasuwa Glacial Flood Report released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), the flood released a large volume of water suddenly, causing 23 human casualties; 19 deaths, 13 missing and 1 injured. The infrastructure damages includes; 1 bridge completely and 1 bridge partially destroyed, 1 road section of 16 km fully swept away, 1 dry port area and 3 hydropower affected. After the destructive flood, emergency response was timely mobilized. The resources included; 26 rescue workers, 35 electric vehicles (trucks, etc.), 6 excavators, 3 rescue teams and helicopter support as well.
In addition, the press release issued by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) analyzed that the outburst happened due to ice and snow melting, causing rapid lake expansion. Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and other remote sensing tools showed that the lake had expanded rapidly, and the glacial dam was breached, releasing massive amounts of water. Moreover, it is also revealed that the water volume started surging heavily from March 2025, with the outburst finally occurring on July 8. The NDRRMA report states that the surface water collected rapidly, resulting in the formation of supraglacial lake of are 0.725 sq. km. by July 7. The size of lake meanwhile on July 8 stood at 0.60 sq. km. leading to the conclusion for the cause of occurrence of flood due to raid flow of supraglacial water in the Lhende River.
Extent of Damage and Repair Works
As per the information received from the Deputy Director General and the Spokesperson of the Department of Roads (DoR) Er. Prabhat Kumar Jha, a cumulative length of 1100 meters of road across 12 different damaged sections (each ranging from 20 to 300 meters in length) is in need of repair. These are half-width earthen road sections, requiring toe cutting for stabilization. The estimated cost for repairing these earthen road segments is approximately 50 million as per the assessments done so far.
Jha also informed that there are no structures (e.g., retaining walls, culverts) in the damaged sections, and no bridges have been damaged except for the Miteri Bridge. The Miteri Bridge, which is the connecting link between Nepal and China, spans over 80 meters in length and is speculated to cost approximately 150 million rupees.
The damaged road section falls under a Chinese aid agreement signed in 2018 for the repair and improvement of the Syaphrubesi-Rasuwagadi road. The Chinese side is already present on site and preparation works are ongoing. The only remaining step is the formal declaration of the commencement date for the reconstruction by the Nepalese authorities.
As informed by spokesperson Jha, efforts to ensure vehicular traffic operation are ongoing, and representatives from the Survey for Urban Equity (SuE Kathmandu, likely the supervision or technical team) are on-site as well to assess the situation.
Er. Khadgalal Shrestha, Project Manager at Rasuwagadhi informed that track opening efforts are underway at the site of damage. He said, “So far, 3 km from Syaphrubesi has been cleared and is motorable. We are currently cutting the road on the hillside from Syaphrubesi to Rasuwagadi.” Shrestha said that people are compelled to commute via ropes, with a forceful river flowing under them. He also said, “Works of blasting of Ronga hill is currently ongoing. We are using any equipment that we can find, including that of hydropower as well as the ones belonging to the Chinese side, to make sure vehicular movement can get back to operation,” adding, “If this succeeds without any disruptions, approximately 10 km of road can be accessible.”
State of Rasuwagadhi Hydropower
The Rasuwagadhi Hydroelectric Project (RGHEP) having capacity of 111MW in Rasuwa district as well suffered substantial damage in the floods of July 8. RGHEP, which is a subsidiary of Chilime Hydropower Company Limited (CHPCL), incurred massive structural damages. Naranath Neupane, Information Officer of RGHEP shared that financial assessment are yet to be done, but the structural damages are significant.
Neupane said, “There has been a consequential damage to the headworks of the run-of-river hydropower project.” Headworks refer to the structures that divert water from a river or reservoir towards the turbines, which are crucial in controlling the flow and ensuring the efficient delivery of water to generate electricity. He also said, “Tunnel remains unaffected, but the powerhouse has incurred some damages due to the mud and sludge.” Both the tunnel and powerhouse of RGHEP are underground.
While the electrical components are yet to be assessed, the structures surrounding it are essentially demolished. Neupane said, “Staff camp is totally destroyed, machines and vehicles are submerged, access road leading to the powerhouse has been completely swept away. Some transformers and cable of headworks as well have become detrimental.”
RGHEP, which was running at its full capacity prior to the floods, has now shut down. As per the information provided by Neupane, there are a number of procedural formalities to follow before beginning the reconstruction works. He said, “The major structures are insured by Himalayan Everest Insurance and fixed assets, vehicles, and furniture are insured by Nepal Insurance. Assessments will be done regarding the damages and then only the new contractors for reconstruction will be sought.”
With the damage sustained by the 111 MW RGHEP and other hydropower as well, the national power supply grid has taken a hit. The disaster severely impacted more than ten hydropower sites located in Rasuwa and Nuwakot, as reported in the press release issued by the Independent Power Producers’ Association of Nepal (IPPAN). This incident forced the shutdown of facilities producing a total of approximately 250 megawatts of electricity. Additionally, work on several under-construction projects with a combined planned output exceeding 350 megawatts has come to a standstill.
Ganesh Karki, the president of IPPAN, mentioned that several operational plants are currently out of service. These include Rasuwagadhi (111 MW), Trishuli-3A (60 MW), Trishuli Hydropower Station (25 MW), Chilime (22 MW), Upper Mailung (14 MW), Devighat (14 MW), and Mailung Khola (5 MW).
Moreover, progress on significant developments such as Upper Trishuli-1 (216 MW), Super Trishuli (100 MW), and Trishuli-3B (37 MW) has been suspended following the disaster.
Therefore, in light of the July 8 flooding, IPPAN has appealed to the government to take prompt action to repair the affected power infrastructure. The organization emphasized the need for supportive policies and streamlined procedures to rebuild the damaged facilities, resume electricity generation and transmission, and introduce safeguards to reduce the risk of future destruction.
