Madiun River Kali Bengawan Madioen, Kali Madioen | |
---|---|
Native name |
|
Location | |
Country | Indonesia |
State | Jawa Timur |
City | Madiun |
Physical characteristics | |
Source confluence | Some tributaries |
• location | Ponorogo |
Mouth | Solo River |
• location | Ngawi (town) |
• coordinates | 7°23′17″S 111°27′28″E / 7.38796°S 111.45765°E |
The Madiun River (Indonesian: Bengawan Madiun or Kali Madiun) is a river in East Java, Indonesia, about 500 km to the east of the capital Jakarta.[1] It is the largest tributary of the Solo River.[2] Its name indicates that it passes through the major city of Madiun, East Java, Indonesia.[3] This river starts as several smaller tributaries converging near the city of Ponorogo, in particular the Kali Slahung, Kali Keyang, and Kali Sungkur.[4] It eventually converges with the Solo River near the city of Ngawi.[5]
In 1825, the Dutch East Indies soldiers built a fortress near the convergence of the Madiun and Solo rivers, to fight a local rebellion led by Diponegoro. The fortress was named Fort Van Den Bosch;[2] known locally as Benteng Pendem Ngawi.[6]
The river flows entirely within the Province of East Java, passing through Ponorogo Regency, Madiun Regency, City of Madiun, Magetan Regency, and Ngawi Regency, with a savanna climate.[7] 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 January, at 24 °C.[8] The wettest month is March, with an average of 546 mm of rainfall, and the driest is September, with 21 mm of rainfall.[9]
For ages, the Madiun River has notoriously caused flooding during the rainy season.[10] Every year the seasonal deluge submerges many fields and houses along the river banks, including some districts in Ponorogo Regency in the upper reaches[4] and in the Ngawi Regency in the lower reaches.[11][12][13] The high debit of water overflows to the Solo River, adding to the regular flooding in Bojonegoro Regency.[14] During the dry season, the river becomes a tourist place for fishing or a place to mine sands for local people.[15]