Serayu River

The Serayu in the year 1914-1915

The Serayu ( Javanese Serayu Kali, Indonesian Sungai Serayu ) is a 180 km long river on the Indonesian island of Java. It rises on the northwest flank of the volcano Prahu, in Dieng Plateau, and flows near the city of Cilacap in the Indian Ocean.

The Serayu has eleven tributaries, the largest being Begaluh, Merawu, Klawing and Logawa. The water is used for irrigation of fields, among others, for drinking water or for the production of electricity. The dam project Panglima Besar Sudirman was constructed in 1983 in the city Banjarnegara at the headwaters. The reservoir covers an area of approximately ten square kilometers. The hydropower plant has a capacity of 180 MW.

The catchment area with an area of ​​4375 square kilometers, is the province of Central Java and covers the five counties Wonosobo, Purbalingga, Banjarnegara, Banyumas and Cilacap. Largest city with about 250,000 inhabitants is Purwokerto.

The area is surrounded by several volcanoes. On the eastern side, the Dieng Plateau, with the headwaters, and the Sundoro and Sumbing, both over 3000 m are high. The Slamet, the second highest volcano in Indonesia, is located less than 50 kilometers north of the estuary. There is the headwaters of the creek Logawa.