Toru River


Toru River or Batang Toru is a river in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, about 1200 km northwest of the capital Jakarta.

Geography

The river flows in the northern area of Sumatra with predominantly tropical rainforest climate. The annual average temperature in the area is 24 °C. The warmest month is February, when the average temperature is around 26 °C, and the coldest is May, at 22 °C. The average annual rainfall is 3379 mm. The wettest month is November, with an average of 520 mm rainfall, and the driest is July, with 156 mm rainfall.

Ecology

The river flows at the heart of the area where the Tapanuli orangutan lives, a kind of orangutan which was identified as a separate species in 2017.

Uses

The Batang Toru hydropower project has started work on a dam and tunnel, financed by China, which is meant to provide electric power during 6 hours a day.