10 Largest Rivers in Indonesia Now Running Dry

Extreme dry season conditions are beginning to impact several of Indonesia’s major rivers. The Kapuas and Barito rivers are experiencing such significant reductions in water discharge that riverbeds are emerging at the surface, forming expanses of sand. The water discharge of the Batanghari River in Jambi has also decreased sharply, despite these rivers historically possessing very high flow rates.

River droughts are expected to persist through September. The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) forecasts that rainfall throughout September 2026 will generally range from only 0-150 mm per ten-day period, placing it in the low to medium category.

These conditions have raised concerns regarding water availability in Indonesia’s major rivers, which serve as vital sources of water and life. The scarcity of water in several Indonesian rivers serves as evidence of how El Niño has altered river water capacities, particularly as these drying rivers previously maintained substantial discharge levels.

Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) indicates that the Batanghari River possesses the largest river discharge in Indonesia. For reference, river discharge describes the volume of water flowing through a specific point in a river over a certain period. Discharge is typically measured in cubic metres per second (m³/s); essentially, the higher the discharge figure, the more water flows through the river every second.

Consequently, discharge is a critical indicator for assessing flow magnitude, water availability, river characteristics, and flood potential. Based on BSS data, here are the 10 rivers with the largest water discharge: