Kikori River

Kikori
Physical characteristics
Source	Southern Highlands
• location	Confluence of Hegigio and Mubi
• coordinates	6°47′33″S 143°36′55″E
• elevation	52 m (171 ft)
Mouth	Gulf of Papua
• location	Kikori Delta, Papua New Guinea
• coordinates	7°43′00″S 144°16′46″E
• elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Length	445 km (277 mi)
Basin size	23,309 km^2 (9,000 sq mi)
Discharge
• location	Kikori Delta, Gulf of Papua
• average	3,274 m^3/s (115,600 cu ft/s)[1]
Discharge
• location	Kaiam, West Kikori Rural LLG
• average	2,571 m^3/s (90,800 cu ft/s)[2]
• minimum	670 m^3/s (24,000 cu ft/s)[2]
• maximum	4,414 m^3/s (155,900 cu ft/s)[2]
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Mubi, Sirebi
• right	Hegigio

The Kikori River is a major river in southern Papua New Guinea on the island of New Guinea. The river has a total length of 445 km (277 mi) and flows southeast into the Gulf of Papua, with its delta at the head of the gulf. The settlement of Kikori lies on the delta.[3]

Geography

The catchment area extends from alpine grasslands of the Southern Highlands to mangrove wetlands of the mouth at Papua Gulf. The Kikori arises at the confluence of the Hegigio with the Mubi (river) or Digimu, into which Lake Kutubu drained. The average rainfall in the Kikori catchment is 5,900 millimetres or 230 inches.

The city of the same name is located on the right bank just before its confluence with the delta.

Economy

The Kikori river basin is home to large oil and gas fields that have been mined since the 1990s. A pipeline for oil and gas transport ( Papua New Guinea LNG Project) runs in the Kikori River system from Lake Kutubu over to Papua Gulf.

Biodiversity

The Kikori river system is known for its biodiversity. Mount Bosavi, which is well known in this respect, lies on the western edge of the Kikori river basin. The catchment area of the Kikori includes more than 100 species of fish, of which 14 percent are endemic; along with the western, and much longer Fly River, it is the most species-rich river in New Guinea. However, most of the endemic fish do not live in the rivers, but in Lake Kutubu. Furthermore, in the Kikori Basin there are three species of cherax, an endemic blind cavern Oxyeleotris caeca and six species of freshwater turtles.[4]

See also

• Kikori
• Kikori River languages
• Kikori District

References

1. Christer, Nilsson; Catherine, Reidy, Liermann; Mats, Dynesius; Carmen, Revenga (2005). "Fragmentation and Flow Regulation of the World's Large River System". doi:10.1126/science.1107887.
2. "Receiving Onshore Environment: Upstream Facilities and Onshore Pipelines" (PDF).
3. *Merriam Webster's Geographical Dictionary, Third Edition. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 1997. ISBN 0-87779-546-0 p. 592.
4. Richards, S.J. (Editor) Rapid biological assessments of Wau Creek, Uro Creek and Lake Kutubu: documenting biodiversity values to promote forest conservation in the Kikori River basin, Papua New Guinea. ExxonMobil PNG Limited. Port Moresby. 2018 ISBN 978-0-6484933-1-0

External links

• Kikori- More than just a river