EuroSpeleo 2016

The Golden Years of Shnongrim Ridge - Caving in Meghalaya

Oral|Mr Thomas Arbenz

The Golden Years of Shnongrim Ridge - Caving in Meghalaya

Abstract

Exploration of the caves of Nongkhlieh Ridge started properly in 2002 with the discovery of Krem Liat Prah, a system which has grown to become India’s longest since over the exploring years speleologists have found more caves in the vicinity and been able to connect them to achieve the Liat Prah Cave System at over 30 kilometres surveyed length.

This cave system lies underneath the northern part of Shnongrim Ridge – as expedition members used to call Nongkhlieh Ridge, when from 2003 base camp was installed on a patch of common land near the village of Shnongrim. This camp became home to seven successive expeditions until 2009, when exploration of this extraordinary cave region was terminated.