Arunachal's Koloriang vies for 'wettest place on earth' title

Mawsynram, in the East Khasi Hills region of Meghalaya state is currently the 'wettest place on earth' as per the Guinness Book of World Records

Koloriang, the Arunachal Pradesh town, is vying for the 'Wettest Place on Earth,' a distinction currently held by Mawsynram, located in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya.

As per a report in India Today NE the town has recently garnered attention with residents claiming the rainfall records in Koloriang surpass Mawsynram’s. There have been calls for the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) to set up rain gauges for precise readings.

Koloriang, which is 1000 metres above sea level, is surrounded by mountains and administrative circles including Sarli, Damin, and Parsiparlo. The town which is around 255 kilometres from Itanagar, the state capital, attracts tourists interested in hiking and nature treks with its surrounding scenery. Due to its frequent snowfall, Lurugh Pass at Sarli, which is only 40 kilometres from Koloriang, is becoming more and more well-known as a popular tourist destination.

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The people of Koloriang are sure that their town has the highest amount of rainfall in comparison to other areas since they have witnessed an incredible downpours throughout the year, with the expectation of the months of October to December. They assert that Koloriang might legitimately hold the title of the wettest spot on Earth if the IMD routinely validates this data. There have been appeals made to Union Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju to follow up on the matter.

Mawsynram, in the East Khasi Hills region of Meghalaya state, with an average annual rainfall of 11,871 mm and is currently the wettest spot on Earth. The wettest area on Earth prior to this was Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, which is around 15 kilometres from Mawsynram. The average annual rainfall in Cherrapunji from 1971 to 2020 is 11359.4 mm.