6.6 km added to Meghalaya’s cave system

The mapping was part of an international cave expedition from February 6-24 in the State’s East Jaintia Hills district

GUWAHATI

A total of 6,635 metres or 6.6 km was added to Meghalaya’s cave system following an international caving project undertaken from February 6-24.

The total cave passage explored and mapped in the State is now 537.6 km long with much more still waiting to be discovered, Brian D. Kharpran Daly of the Meghalaya Adventurers’ Association (MAA) told journalists in the State’s capital Shillong.

A team of international cavers from the U.K., Switzerland and Ireland carried out the mapping with the members of MAA in the Muallian area of the East Jaintia Hills district.

“The expedition this year was tougher and more technical as all the caves in the area are vertical with over 85 m entrance shafts. Further, as exploration gets deeper into the cave systems, more than 3.5 hours are spent in reaching the last point of the survey from the entrance,” said MAA general secretary, Brian D. Kharpran Daly.

The expedition, he said, was concentrated on three caves – Krem Rynjang, Pynnoh Um Sngad and Ram Khur.

With 2,536 metres added to the previously mapped length of 5,295 metres, the interconnected Pynnoh Um Sngad-Ram Khur cave system now has a total length of 14,950 metres to become India’s seventh-longest cave.