Meghalaya

The Khasi Hills, in a remote part of north-east India, usually experience torrential rains.

Famously, the area once recorded more than 1,000 inches (2,540 centimetres) of rain in just one year - a global record.

But villagers in the region, which was named after the rain-filled clouds that supplied the waterfalls and streams, now have to bring water from other areas.

Increases in pollution and deforestation have been blamed for the environmental changes.

'Home of the Clouds'

When the Khasi Hills were carved out from Assam in 1972 and a separate state created, India had no problem deciding what to name the new state.

Through an act of parliament it was promptly named Meghalaya, which means "Home of the Clouds" in Sanskrit and Hindi.

Meghalaya enjoys the distinction of having two of the world's wettest places: Cherrapunji and Mawsynram. But Cherrapunji is drying up.

Cherrapunji residents are worried because the small town and the villages around it have received less and less rain over the years during monsoon.

During winter, the rains almost stop and the springs dry up.

Long rows of trucks loaded with drums of water can be seen travelling up to Cherrapunji from the plains.

Some tankers, normally in the business of carrying oil, load up with water as well and enjoy huge success in selling supplies in Cherrapunji.

"We buy a bucket of water for six or seven rupees during the winter. The city's water supply collapses because there is hardly any water left in the soil of Cherrapunji that can be pumped out," says Julia Kharkhongor, a teacher with one of the town's leading schools.

When I reached Cherrapunji earlier this month, I was shocked to find no rain or clouds anywhere on the way.

Ten years ago, when my wife and I first visited Cherrapunji in early summer to escape the heat of the Assam plains, we drove on the road that gradually rises to the town through a picturesque landscape.

We drove above the clouds that were clinging to the mountains through which the road passed. And it was raining.

Less rain

This time, there was bright sunshine and the umbrellas we carried in our cars were not needed.

SC Sahu, deputy director of the Central Meteorological Department in Meghalaya's capital, Shillong, says Cherrapunji received less rain in the whole of 2001 - only 363 inches (922 cm) - than it got in just one month in 1861.

He said: "In July 1861 alone, Cherrapunji had 366 inches of rain. Between August 1860 and July 1861, Cherrapunji got a record 1,042 inches of rain - a world record. But now the annual rainfall there has sharply fallen to less than a third of that."

Mr Sahu blames it on the deforestation in the area and environmentalists agree.

"Ever since Meghalaya became a separate state, there has been a rise in deforestation," says Ba Mark West, convenor of the Cherrapunji Soil Research Society.

"Tree felling is rampant and the loss of forest cover around Cherrapunji is more serious than ever before," he says.

In 1960, Cherrapunji was still a town of just 7,000 people.

Now, there are 15 times that number and a cement plant at Mamlukcherra, a few kilometres away, was built 20 years ago.

Worried

"The cement plant polluted the environment and added to the population pressure in the area. And if there are more people, the pressure on the forests will increase," says Mr West.

The owner of a small cafe at Cherrapunji, John Nongrem, is worried that without rain tourists will stop coming.

"Tourists come here to see rain, not sun and if there are no rains, no clouds, why should the tourists come?" he asks.

However, tourists may appreciate the fact that the waterfalls at Nokalikai are more clearly visible to the tourist from Nongrem's cafe on the hilltop.

As in days gone by, the faces of Cherrapunji change not with the seasons, but with the pattern of rainfall. The heaviest downpours span approximately five long months-from May until September. The clouds then are dark and menacing, full blown with rain, which descends earthwards with the stinging force of a whiplash.

Throughout these months, Cherrapunji is transformed into a sea of tiny, gushing rivulets. The raindrops beat incessantly on rooftops and treetops creating a compelling tattoo of awesome sounds, which cannot be savored anywhere else but in the Northeastern states. These are also the 'record-making' months, which contribute to records such as the stunning 22,987 mm of rainfall in 1861. The annual average rainfall of Cherrapunji stands today at 10,871 millimeters. Barely 10 km from Cherrapunji stands the village of Mawsynram, which has snatched away the heaviest rainfall record, with 12,163 millimeters of rainfall.

With the passage of September, the rhythm of the rain-its main force spent-changes to a gentle patter. And the Khasis and other residents of Cherrapunji, the flora, and the fauna respond to the change in the Rain God's mood. Soft pastel shades begin to appear in skies that were gray all day and rainbows that are a photographer's delight begin to make unexpected guest appearances.
TOURISTS ATTRACTIONS OF CHERRAPUNJI

The home of enterprising Khasi clans, Cherrapunji's place in the Guinness Book of Records is not its only claim to fame. Along with falls lesser in height but no less alluring, the spectacular, cascading 1,035-ft-high Mawsmai Falls-the fourth highest in India-lie just a few kilometers beyond Cherrapunji.

Close by is situated a fascinating labyrinth of underground passages beneath age-old caves-a veritable dream for amateur explorers. Elsewhere around Cherrapunji, Khasi monoliths (stones in memory of their ancestors) lie dotted around-a vague reminder of the forests of Bastar.

Amidst all the surprises of Cherrapunji, perhaps the most abiding is the startling realization that the wettest place on earth where it rains every month also has an amazing amount of warm sunshine. When the clouds drift away, there are a series of memorable views, and one can see as far as Bangladesh. Orchids blooming a few feet away form a patch devoid of vegetation. Dense woods interspersed by rocky, cliffs furrowed by erosion.

As the months move on, the smell of decaying vegetation lessens as the showers become intermittent. New plants spring to life, and people go about their tasks with renewed energy.

The hills around Cherrapunji do not have the lush green vegetation one normally associates with wet places. The vegetative cover in the form of dense woods appears in patches and constitute yet another marvelous surprise: the richness and variety of the flora in these 'zones' has to be seen to be believed. An amazing variety of rare orchids, ferns, and moss convert each pocket into a botanist's paradise. Cherrapunji produces the best quality of oranges as well as pineapples. In fact, Cherrapunji oranges are the ancestors of the famous Nagpuri oranges in the Central India.

WHERE TO STAY IN CHERRAPUNJI

Cherrapunji has several comfortable private hotels. Staying at the Circuit House and the Dak Bungalow require prior permission from the administration.

We offer excellent accommodation facilities in and around Cherrapunji.
Please click here to get more information.... HOW TO REACH CHERRAPUNJI

Cherrapunji is 58 km from Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya. A steep motorable road, almost perpetually bathed in mist as it climbs upwards on the last lap, leads up to Cherrapunji. Buses and taxis ply to Cherrapunji from Shillong.

Tourism-of-India.com provides complete information on Cherrapunji, about tourism in Cherrapunji. Tourism-of-India.com offers various tour packages to make you visit comfortable. You can pick the one that suits you most.