Comoro River

The Comoro River (Portuguese: Ribeira de Comoro or Rio Comoro, Tetun: Mota Komoro) is a river in Timor-Leste. It flows northwards into Ombai Strait, reaching the coast in the north western suburbs of the capital, Dili. In its lower reaches, it is the main and largest of Dili's four major rivers.

The headwaters of the river are in Timor-Leste's central mountains south of Dili. From there, the river flows northeastwards to the southern edge of Dili's southwestern suburbs. It then turns northwards and heads through Dili's western suburbs, initially along the border between the municipalities of Dili and Liquiçá, and then by traversing the Dom Aleixo administrative post in Dili municipality, where it passes under the Hinode Bridge and, 800 m (2,600 ft) further downstream, the CPLP Bridge. In its lower reaches, the river is the main and largest of Dili's four major rivers, and is very wide, with steep banks. It has a bed of stone and gravel, is mostly dry, and is often braided when not either dry or in flood. A short distance north of the CPLP Bridge, it flows into Ombai Strait; between the bridge and its mouth, it marks the border between the sucos of Madohi (to its west) and Bebonuk (to its east).

The river mouth is flat and wide. When the river is flowing, the mouth commonly has multiple, shallow, tidally influenced channels with low to moderate flow. Immediately to the west of the mouth is Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport, and to its east is the Bay of Dili, of which it is the western end. The river mouth flows into an area containing a coral reef. The river abuts the eastern end of the airport runway, and the possibility of bridging the river or diverting it to facilitate an eastern extension to the runway has been raised. However, various proposals to construct such an extension were rejected by the government in 2019. During Timor-Leste's rainy season, the river's lower reaches are prone to flooding and consequent damage to infrastructure and housing. In general, the riverbanks are protected by concrete or gabion walls, but have deteriorated by scouring, as the channels are not properly maintained. The river has four tributaries. In order of entrance, they are as follows:

Anggou River: rises in Liquiçá municipality; flows about 8 km (5.0 mi) southeastwards and then northeastwards to the village of Railaco in Ermera municipality; Buamara/Boera River: rises as the Buamara River in Ermera municipality; flows about 10 km (6.2 mi), initially northwestwards, and then northeastwards as the Boera River, to merge with the Anggou River at Railaco and form the Balele or Hare River; Maulu River: rises in Ermera municipality; flows about 8 km (5.0 mi) westwards to enter the Balele/Hare River about 3 km (1.9 mi) east and downstream of Railaco (the Balele/Hare River becomes the Comoro River further downstream); Bemos River: rises in Aileu municipality; flows about 13 km (8.1 mi) westwards into the Comoro River, about 8 km (5.0 mi) northeast and downstream of where the Maulu River flows into the Balele/Hare River, and about 8 km (5.0 mi) south and upstream of the Comoro River's mouth. A minor tributary, sometimes referred to as the Berloi River or the Berloi-Fatisi River, rises in Aileu municipality and passes over the Berloi Waterfall in Fatisi, Aileu. It then continues for about a further 3 km (1.9 mi), until it flows into the main river some 5 km (3.1 mi) downstream of Railaco (near both the point where the Balele/Hare River becomes the Comoro River, and the tripoint between Aileu, Ermera, and Liquiçá municipalities).

Flows through: Timor-Leste.

River data from Wikidata (CC0); lengths normalised to a common unit.