The Baru Barat River () is a man-made canal flowing from the Cisadane River in Bogor Regency to Jakarta, Indonesia.Kali Baru - Geonames.org. It was one of two canals built in the 18th century under the order of the Governor-General Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff, the other being the Baru Timur River (). Both canals were originally built to transport agricultural harvests from Bogor to Batavia (now Jakarta).Kali Baru, Proyek Kanal Transportasi yang Gagal - Dian Dewi Purnamasari; Mukhamad Kurniawan/Saiful Rijal Yunus, Kompas.com - 26 September 2016. They are among the main rivers in Jakarta, and part of the Ciliwung Cisadane flood control project.BBWS Ciliwung Cisadane. Pengendalian Banjir dan Perbaikan Sungai Ciliwung Cisadane (PBPS CC). Archived in Konservasi DAS Ciliwung - April 2012. The Baru Barat River flows through the districts of Pancoran and Tebet in South Jakarta and drains into the Banjir Kanal Barat.Kali Baru Barat Bersih dari Sampah - Izzudin & Lopi Kasim - Berita Jakarta -16 Juli 2015.
Etymology The name ('New River') is associated with a fishing harbor in the Tanjung Priok area of North Jakarta. In the 1960s, a new harbor was established to replace the fishing harbor which closed in 1967. The area was divided into two parts: ('Eastern Kali Baru') and ('Western Kali Baru').Zaenuddin HM "212 Asal-Usul Djakarta Tempo Doeloe," Penerbit: Ufuk Press Oktober 2012. 377 halaman After the new fishing harbor was closed in 1988, the area was used for unloading lumber bound for Jakarta.Inilah Asal usul Nama Kalibaru Jakarta - Nurudin Abdullah & Nurbaiti - 24 Desember 2014.
History In 1739, the Dutch East Indies government under Governor-General Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff built the () for irrigation and for transporting goods inland. The canal was completed 14 years later, in 1753, but its use for transportation failed due to leaks and the high cost of building multiple water gates. The canal was used only for irrigation.
In 1753, the was lengthened to the eastern canal at () and joined the Canal. These combined canals form what is now called the Baru Timur River. Due to high maintenance and repair costs, in 1776, Van Imhoff ordered the opening of another canal from the Cisadane River to the Ci Liwung. This new canal was named the (), and is now called the Baru Barat River.
Geographically, the Baru Barat River (the western canal) was dug from the Cisadane River, passing the Cipakancilan River, into the Minangkabau River, and discharging into the Banjir Kanal Barat. The Baru Timur River (the eastern canal) was dug from to () and receives additional water supply from the Cikeas River until the Sunter River.Adolf Heuken SJ. Atlas Sejarah Jakarta. Yayasan Cipta Loka Caraka, 2014.
The Baru Barat River helps irrigate rice and fruit fields in Cilebut, Citayam, Depok, Pondok Cina, Tanjung Barat, and Pondok Labu. It is no longer connected to the Ci Liwung.Gunawan, Restu. Gagalnya sistem kanal: pengendalian banjir Jakarta dari masa ke masa. Penerbit Buku Kompas, 2010. , 9789797094836. 398 pages. p. 158.
Hydrology The Baru Barat River is grouped into the Central Area Stream Handling System of Jakarta, along with the Krukut River, Ci Liwung, and Banjir Kanal Barat. It has a total entry debit upstream of 50 m3/sec and downstream of 290 m3/sec, and an exit debit upstream of 150 m3/sec and downstream of 370 m3/sec, from about 17 tributaries.DPUD DKI Jakarta. Potensi Debit Air Baku Pada Wilayah Sungai DKI Jakarta. 2003.Penyelamatan tanah, air, dan lingkungan. Sitanala Arsyad, Ernan Rustiadi (eds.). Publisher: Yayasan Pustaka Obor Indonesia, 2008. , 9789794617021. 288 pages. p. 98.
In 2016, the river had a width of and looked clear. The depth reached only the toes during the dry season, but up to during the rainy season.Begini Kondisi Kali Baru Barat yang Jadi Tempat Anak-anak Bermain Air - Nursita Sari - Kompas.com - 18 Mei 2016. The bottom and banks of the river were covered by green algae and wild bushes, giving a green tint to the river despite the transparent water.
The Baru Barat River is a source of flooding in Jakarta,Ini 5 Faktor Penyebab Banjir Jakarta, Enggak Cuma dari Cuaca Ekstrem - Silvia Rahmatina Okezone News, 13 Desember 2017. mainly due to garbage accumulating in the river. In 2015, the government made noticeable progress in cleaning the river.Kali Baru Barat Pancoran Juga Jadi Tempat Anak-anak Bermain Air - Nursita Sari - Kompas.com - 18 Mei 2016.
Climate The river flows in the northwest area of Java with a predominantly tropical rainforest climate (designated as Af in the Köppen-Geiger climate classification). The annual average temperature in the area is 27 °C. The warmest month is March, when the average temperature is around 30 °C, and the coldest is May, at 26 °C. The average annual rainfall is . The wettest month is December, with an average of rainfall, and the driest is September, with rainfall.
See also List of rivers of Java List of drainage basins of Indonesia
References