Mawkyrwat, Nov 25: South West Khasi Hills District is a late-entrant into the state’s Tourism sector. But like they say its like saving the best for the last. The districts is blessed with beautiful green hills, caves, monoliths, hot springs, waterfalls and excellent weather.
Of late, many new tourist destinations are being discovered by enterprising youth from the district and there is a fair chance that South West Khasi Hills will rival other districts as the most sought after tourist destination in the state.
Very recently, a picturesque spot, Kshaid Ur-Ringai (Ghost Falling Falls) which is about 100 meters long and with a beautiful pool at the top of it, was discovered in the district. The waterfall is located at a place under Mawten village, 2 KMs from Mawkyrwat.
The discovery of the pool and the waterfall has surprised even the local people of Mawkyrwat but the place is no stranger to anglers from the area especially those from Mawten village. It is a place they frequent but none of them have captured it in their cameras or taken videos.
The Covid-19 lockdown which left some people idling away also pushed others to look for opportunities. Since the lockdown restricted movement in the district headquarters those in the distant villages made forays into the forests and rivers to get a breath of fresh air. It was during this time that a group of young people from Mawten village found the pool located at the edge of the waterfall which is now one of the longest waterfalls in South West Khasi Hills district.
It takes about 1½ hours trekking from Mawten village to reach the beautiful pool at the top of the Ur-Ringai Falls and about 2 hours to reach down to the waterfall. As if the Falls were not enough, another beautiful lake greets the visitors. It is called the Synrang Ringai Lake.
“We will bet our last penny that once people see the Falls they will want to come back for more. This will certainly be one of the best tourist spots in the District and the State as a whole,” the local people say, adding that it is a very good place for visitors to refresh themselves after a long walk. They say visitors will be mesmerized by the Waterfall and the fresh zephyr they can breathe in. Also since there is no connectivity, visitors will not be disturbed from their reverie.
From the pool on the top of the waterfall, one can see the green hills of the Riwar Sepngi.
The discovery of the beautiful pool at the top of the Ur-Ringai Falls and the presence of other tourist spots including Umngi River on the way to Mawkyrwat, the Hot Springs in Jakrem, Phlangjaud Cave in Rangmaw, Rilang viewpoint in Mawranglang, Synrang Mawrin in Mawten, Tynnai viewpoint in Tynnai village, Krem Mawtynhiang on the Iawpaw Hill in Nongnah village, Monoliths in Mawlangwir and other beautiful places, is bound to propel South West Khasi Hills district into the tourism map of Meghalaya and the world and this will definitely attract tourists both domestics and foreign, the local youth aver.
Speaking to The Shillong Times on the impact of tourism on the environment, Balajied Lyngkhoi, Heskworlin Wanniang and some other youths from Mawten village said that they would prefer the Ur-Ringai Falls to be left untapped so that it will not be overrun by visitors and get over-heated like other tourist hideaways which have now lost their charm.
“If too many people come here for sightseeing or for picnic, this place may not be able to retain its beauty. The fear is also that visitors will defile the place and leave behind their plastics, bottles and other non-biodegradable wastes which are not eco friendly and can pollute this stream and the village as a whole as has been observed in many other tourist spots,” the youths said.
They also expressed fear that if roads are opens closer to this place, it might cause deforestation because it will facilitate cutting of trees from these forests which will be burnt for charcoal as has happened in the past few years on the way to the Ur-Ringai Falls.
The youth however said that if the Ur-Ringai Falls becomes a tourist spot, it will be a blessing for many especially from Mawten village as livelihoods will be created. Hence the message from these youths to the tourists including local, national and foreign is to maintain this beautiful place as a ‘plastic, bottle and other non-biodegradable wastes free zone’ so that its beauty will remain unsullied.