| Brang Biji River Sungai Brang Biji Brang Sumbawa, Brang Soembawa, Soengai Soembawa | |
|---|---|
  Location of the mouth Show map of Sumbawa Brang Biji River (Indonesia) Show map of Indonesia | |
| Location | |
| Country | Indonesia |
| Province | West Nusa Tenggara |
| Region | Sumbawa Regency |
| City | Sumbawa Besar |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Batu Lanteh |
| Mouth | Flores Sea |
• location | Sumbawa Besar |
• coordinates | 8°27′58″S117°24′14″E / 8.4661°S 117.4039°E /-8.4661; 117.4039 |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
TheBrang Biji River (Indonesian:Sungai Brang Biji; inSumbawarese, "Brang" means "river") is a river in the island ofSumbawa,Indonesia, about 1,200 km east of the capitalJakarta.[1] It is also known asBrang Sumbawa.[2]
Thedrainage basin of the Brang Biji covers an area of 225 km². The main river has a length of 33.20 km, with an upstream inclination of 17.14%, and the middle part inclination of 5.15%. It flows from south to north, passing Batu Lanteh at upriver and the city ofSumbawa Besar at downriver, into theFlores Sea.[3]
For years, the Brang Biji River suffers from rapid sedimentation, which reduces its water capacity, and decreasing width due to uncontrolled house building along the river banks.[4] These factors contribute to annual flood, submerging houses along the banks in the districts of Bugis, Brang Bara, Pekat, Samapuin, Lempeh and Brang Biji,[3] as happened in February 2017.[5]
The Brang Biji River is also heavily polluted by high concentrations ofE-coli andmercury, reaching unsafe levels for people to use for drinking or washing.[6] The pollution is attributed to the unhygienic lifestyle of the community, such as throwing thrash and using the river as a restroom.[7]
The river flows along the northwestern area of Sumbawa with predominantlytropical savanna climate (designated asAs in theKöppen-Geiger climate classification).[8] The annual average temperature in the area is 26 °C. The warmest month is October, when the average temperature is around 30 °C, and the coldest is February, at 24 °C.[9] The average annual rainfall is 1539 mm. The wettest month is January, with an average of 321 mm rainfall, and the driest is August, with 3 mm rainfall.[10]