WAH SAHPEIN (Krem)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A communicating pair of cave entrances (an insurgence draining to a resurgence) give access to a tunnel cave which functions as a subterranean shortcut of the Wah Sahpein. ETYMOLOGY: The initially recorded cave name -Krem Wah Sahpien- makes no sense but -Krem Wah Sahpein- would translate as Cave [at the] Stream [where] Blows [were] Exchanged and means Scuffle Cave or Brawl Cave as the Khasi verb -pein- means to barter, to exchange and the verb -sah- means not only to remain, to lag, to stay (behind) but also to elbow, to strike, to ram (SINGH, N 1906: 153, 180). SITUATION (note 1): The Wah Sahpein is a stream that flows at the western piedmont of the Nongkhlieh Ridge and below Daistong village, on the right (eastern) bank of the Litang (Leteiñ, Litien) River and about 30 vertical metre above the flood plain. CAVE DESCRIPTION (after ): A south-east facing cave entrance (dry in February but a flood sink during the monsoons) at the downstream end of a surface gully leads to a 3 m wide an 2 m high passage with gravel floor and continues with larger, extensive, and fairly well speleothem decorated passages with an outward air draught (air current, air flow). PROSPECTS: Jarratt (2003.02.28 Mss: Krem Wah Sapien): Very good but having surveyed the 140 m of cave passage the cave is finished. SPELEOMETRY: 170.94 m survey length (including 26.32 m of unroofed canyon in the open air) and 144.62 m cave survey and 140 m passage length, covering an area of 1'528 sqm with a volume of 986 cubic metre. CAVE LIFE: Both Jarratt (2003.02.28 Mss: Krem Wah Sapien) and Jarratt (2003.02.10: Mss Cave Log 2003, entry 10/2/03) noticed bats (Chiroptera). Since monsoon debris (driftwood, etc.) is washed into the cave, one can count on small sized arthropoda. 2 m high passage with gravel floor and continues with larger, extensive, and fairly well speleothem decorated passages with an outward air draught (air current, air flow). PROSPECTS: Jarratt (2003.02.28 Mss: Krem Wah Sapien): Very good but having surveyed the 140 m of cave passage the cave is finished. SPELEOMETRY: 170.94 m survey length (including 26.32 m of unroofed canyon in the open air) and 144.62 m cave survey and 140 m passage length, covering an area of 1'528 sqm with a volume of 986 cubic metre. CAVE LIFE: Both Jarratt (2003.02.28 Mss: Krem Wah Sapien) and Jarratt (2003.02.10: Mss Cave Log 2003, entry 10/2/03) noticed bats (Chiroptera). Since monsoon debris (driftwood, etc.) is washed into the cave, one can count on small sized arthropoda.