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The 5th International Conference on Agriculture, Environment, and Food Security IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 977 (2022) 012090 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/977/1/012090

Morphometric characteristics of the Alas-Singkil drainage

basins

A Muhtadi1*, R Aldiano2, Khairunnisa3 and R Leidonald1

1
Departemen of Aquatic Resources Management, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas
Sumatera Utara, Jl. Prof A. Sofyan No. 3 Kampus USU, Medan 20155, Indonesia.
2
Research Center for Limnology, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).
Jl. Raya Jakarta-Bogor Km 46 Cibinong, 16911 Bogor, Indonesia.
3
Faculty of Marine and Fisheries, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh 23111,
Indonesia.

Email: *ahmad.muhtadi@usu.ac.id

Abstract. The Alas-Singkil drainage basin is the broadest watershed and an essential ecosystem
for maintaining hydrology and ecosystems in the northern Sumatera. This study aims to describe
the morphometric and hydrological characteristics of the Singkil watershed. The data sourced
from Google Earth, DEM data and the results of team expeditions at the sub-watershed locations.
The data analysis is related to the characteristics of the Singkil watershed, which include
watershed area, watershed shape, river network, river flow pattern, river flow density, and
watershed hydrology. Analysis of hydrological characteristics by calculating the peak of the
flood was also carried out. The results showed that the Singkil watershed is a broad watershed
with an area of 12027.18 km2. The Alas-Singkil drainage basin consists of 7 sub-watersheds,
with the length of the main river reaching 368 km. The order of Singkil watershed reaches 8
orders and consists of 7235 orders 1, 1964 orders 2, 390 orders 3, 92 orders 4, 26 orders 5, 6
orders 6, 4 orders 7. The shape of Alas-Singkil drainage basin is elongated with RC value of
0.16. The level of river branching in the Alas-Singkil watershed is 4.76. The maximum discharge
in the Alas-Singkil watershed reaches 59,178 m3/sec.

1. Introduction
Each river is part of the river network that forms a drainage basin [1]. A river drainage basin (often
called a drainage basin) is a unitary land area drained by the river and its tributaries. Another term for
drainage basin is watershed [1,2,3]. As a unitary area, a drainage basin is interconnected between the
main river and its tributaries and between upstream and downstream [1,4,5].
Drainage basin is strongly influenced by the characteristics and conditions of surrounding land use,
such as forest, agriculture, settlement, industry, and others. Land availability and altitude are also very
influential on the characteristics of the watershed [1,5,6]. Watershed plays a vital role in maintaining
the presence of water in the hydrological cycle [2,5]. Watersheds also play an essential role in
maintaining biodiversity, economic value, culture, transportation, and tourism [2,7,8].
Indonesia is rich in rivers and watersheds, consisting of at least 5,590 main rivers and 65,017
tributaries, with a total length of the main rivers reaching 94,573 km. The total area of watersheds in
Indonesia reaches 1,512,466 km2, with the number of watersheds reaching 16,958 watersheds [9]. The

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The 5th International Conference on Agriculture, Environment, and Food Security IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 977 (2022) 012090 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/977/1/012090

Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Republic Indonesia [10] reported that 30.62% of watersheds
in Indonesia have no forest, and 15.75% only have forest area under 30%. According to the National
Spatial Planning Law and the Ministry of Forestry Law, the forest cover in a watershed should be greater
than 30% of the total watershed area. Furthermore, Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Republic
Indonesia [10] reported that the main factor of damage to watersheds in Indonesia is a result of land-use
changes.
Given the role and problems of watersheds, it is necessary to carry out an inventory related to
watersheds as part of efforts to manage watersheds sustainability. The Alas-Singkil drainage basins is
one of the most critical watersheds in northern Sumatera. The Alas-Singkil drainage basins divides the
Gunung Leuser National Park and is administratively included in Aceh and North Sumatra (Fig 1).
Based on reports from various studies conducted by experts in the Alas-Singkil drainage basins, many
found and concluded that the Alas-Singkil drainage basins is a habitat for endemic/restricted fish in the
northern part of Sumatera [11-18]. Thus the Alas-Singkil drainage basins is haven for certain fish whose
the distribution is limited in the northern part of Sumatera. This research is a preliminary study to
describe the characteristics of the Alas-Singkil drainage basins and to describe the habitat preferences
for fish in the Alas-Singkil drainage basins.

2. Method

2.1. Study site

This study was conducted in the Singkil watershed (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Alas-Singkil drainage basin.

2.2. Data collection

The data sourced from Google Earth, DEM data and the results of team expeditions in Juni 2020 and
July 2021 at sub-watershed Alas-Singkil. For the calculation of river discharge and rainfall, the data was
obtained from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency of the Republic of Indonesia.

2.3. Data analysis

The data analysis carried out was related to the morphometric characteristics of the Alas-Singkil
drainage basin, which include watershed area, watershed shape, river network, river flow pattern, river

2
The 5th International Conference on Agriculture, Environment, and Food Security IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 977 (2022) 012090 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/977/1/012090

flow density, and watershed hydrology. Calculation of this morphometric characteristic refers to [19].
Analysis of hydrological characteristics by calculating the flood peak was also carried out. Map
processing was done by using ARCGIS software and Microsoft Excel.

3. Results and discussions

3.1. The morphometric characteristics of the Singkil watershed

The area of the Alas-Singkil drainage basin reaches 12027.18 km2, with the length of the main river
reaching 366.88 km. Referring to [19], Alas-Singkil drainage basin is large and is the most extensive
drainage basin in North Sumatera and Aceh [20,21]. Based on the results of the spatial analysis in the
Alas-Singkil watershed, there are at least 7 sub-watersheds (Figure 2; Table 1) where the Singkil River
is divided into the upper Singkil River (Alas sub-watershed) and the lower Singkil River (downstream
Singkil sub-watershed). Furthermore, there are at least 5 sub-watersheds (with the order at least 5, see
Table 3) that empties into the Singkil River. The Alas and Simonggo sub-watersheds are the most
extensive, reaching 4635.96 km2 and 2380.39 km2.

Table 1. The morphometric characteristics of the Alas-Singkil drainage basin.

Perimeter Area
Sub-Watershed Length of Main River (km) Total Length of River (km)
(km) (km2)
Alas 220.43 8924.3 476 4635.96
Lae Renun 138 6059.305 292 1887.25
Lae Pangkahan 64.5 1544.1 144 493.88
Lae Batu-batu 71.5 1144.97 131 655.09
Lae kumbih 100.36 1783.44 190 635.13
Simonggo 152.62 6540.42 298 2380.39
Singkil hilir 147.57 352.08 319 1339.48
Alas-Singkil 368 26348.62 958 12027.18

Figure 2. Alas-Singkil sub-watershed.

3
The 5th International Conference on Agriculture, Environment, and Food Security IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 977 (2022) 012090 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/977/1/012090

3.2. Forms and flow patterns in the Singkil watershed

The watershed shape influences the river flow pattern and the sharpness of the peak of the flood
discharge. The shape of the Alas-Singkil drainage basins is quite complex, consisting of dendritic, trellis,
parallel, and flextangular (Table 2). The main river extends north in the southeast Aceh highlands
(Gunung Leuser; 3400 masl). Meanwhile, other sub-watersheds originate from the east in the highlands
around Lake Toba (Mount Sibuatan; 2400 masl) and the highlands in Humbang Hasundutan (1800
masl). Generally, the Singkil watershed rivers are slightly elongated like tree branches, branching
irregularly with various directions and angles (Figure 3). The circularity ratio (Rc) with a value of 0.16
(rc<1), indicates the shape of this watershed is in the oval or elongated category. The Simonggo sub-
watershed has river shape that varies significantly from dendritic, flextangular, and trellis forms. The
Kumbih sub-watershed has a parallel flow pattern where the main tributaries are parallel or almost
parallel, empties into the main rivers at an acute angle.

Table 2. The flow pattern and shape of the Alas-Singkil drainage basins.
Flow Density Index Circularity
Subwatershed Flow Pattern
(km/km2) ratio (Rc)
Alas 1.93 0.26 Dendritic dan trellis
Lae Renun 3.21 0.28 Dendritic dan paralel
Lae Pangkahan 3.13 0.30 Dendritic
Lae Batu-batu 1.75 0.48 Dendritic dan flextangular
Lae kumbih 2.81 0.22 Paralel
Simonggo 2.75 0.34 Paralel, flextangular, dan trellis
Singkil hilir 0.26 0.17 Paralel
Singkil 2.19 0.16 Dendritic flextangular, paralel dan trellis

Figure 3. River flow pattern in Alas-Singkil drainage basins.

Based on the analysis of flow density in the Alas-Singkil drainage basins, we found that Lae Renun
and Lae Pangkahan had the highest flow density with flow density values of 3.21 km/km2 and 3.13

4
The 5th International Conference on Agriculture, Environment, and Food Security IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 977 (2022) 012090 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/977/1/012090

km/km2. In general, the average flow density of the Alas-Singkil drainage basins is 2.19 km/km2. Based
on the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Republic Indonesia [22], the density of the Singkil
watershed is classified in the medium density class, which indicates much water that can be
accommodated in river bodies.

3.3. River order and level of branching in Singkil watershed

Alas-Singkil drainage basins has 8 orders (Table 3). The upland part of the Singkil River (sub-
watershed) has 6 orders. Meanwhile, Renun and Simonggo sub-watersheds have 7 orders, so that the
downstream part of the Singkil River at the confluence of the Simonggo and Singkil rivers has 8 orders,
with a length of 32.55 km. Lae Pangkahan sub-watershed has 6 orders, while the other two sub-
watersheds, namely the Batu-batu and Kumbih sub-watersheds, have 5 orders. In the 5th order, there are
26 rivers in the Singkil watershed, most of which is in the Alas sub-watershed. While in the 6th order,
there are 6 rivers in the Alas Basin, where only 1 is in the Alas Basin and Pangkahan Sub-watersheds
and 2 each in Laeu Renun and Simonggo watersheds.
Based on the calculation of river branching level in the Alas-Singkil drainage basins, it is 4.76 (Table
4) in the range of Rb> 3-5. This Rb value indicates that the river flow has an increase and decrease in
flood water level that is not too fast or not too slow. However, in the Alas, Lae Batu-Batu and Lae
Kumbih sub-watersheds, the value of is Rb > 5, indicates that the river channel has a rapid increase and
decrease in flood water level.

Table 3. The order of the Alas-Singkil drainage basins.

Order
Sub-watershed
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Alas 3079 720 133 30 10 1 1
Lae Renun 1224 445 70 15 5 2 1
Lae Pangkahan 430 124 36 8 3 1
Lae Batu-batu 319 122 19 5 1
Lae kumbih 614 130 28 7 1
Simonggo 1533 410 100 26 6 2 1
Singkil hilir 36 13 4 1 1 1
Singkil 7235 1964 390 92 26 6 4 1

Table 4. The branching rate index of Alas-Singkil drainage basins.

Sub-watershed/ Watershed
Lae
River Order Lae Lae Lae Alas
Alas Batu- Simonggo Singkil
Renun Pangkahan kumbih Singkil
batu
1 5.28 3.75 4.47 3.61 5.72 4.74 3.77 4.68
2 6.41 7.36 4.44 7.42 5.64 5.10 4.25 6.04
3 5.43 5.67 5.50 4.80 5.00 4.85 5.00 5.24
4 4.00 4.00 3.67 6.00 8.00 5.33 - 4.54
5 11.00 3.50 4.00 - - 4.00 - 5.33
6 2.00 3.00 - - - 3.00 - 2.50
7 - - - - - - 2.00 5.00
8 5.69 4.55 4.42 5.46 6.09 4.50 3.75 4.76

3.4. The hydrological characteristics of the Singkil watershed

The broad size of the Alas-Singkil drainage basins indicates that this watershed has an area that can
accommodate and store high rainfall (precipitation). Furthermore, the water is channelled through the
main tributaries (sub-watersheds), such as the Simonggo, Lae Cinendang, Lae Kumbuh, Lau Batu, Lae
Pangkahan, Lae Renun and Lae Alas River to the Indian Ocean Sea on the west coast of Sumatera. Thus,

5
The 5th International Conference on Agriculture, Environment, and Food Security IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 977 (2022) 012090 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/977/1/012090

the Singkil watershed certainly plays a role as a landscape area and an ecosystem area and a unitary
hydrological area with the function of regulating regional water systems. Based on the analysis of the
maximum discharge in the Singkil watershed, the flood discharge in the Singkil river reaches 59,178
m3/second (Figure 4). The Alas and Simonggo sub-watersheds are the most significant contributors to
water discharge in the Singkil River with 22,470 m3/second and 13,702 m3/second, respectively. The
Lae Pangkahan sub-watershed is the lowest (1,716 m3/second) because the sub-watershed area is the
lowest compared to other sub-watersheds.

70,000
Peak flood discharge m3/s)

60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
-
un

o
tu

il
s

l
la

gg

ki
ha

gk
bi
ba
en
A

ng
um

on
ka

in
u-
R

Si

sS
m
ng

ek
at
e

Si
La

la
eB
Pa

La

A
La
e
La

Alas-Singkil drainage basin

Figure 4. Flood discharge in Alas-Singkil drainage basin.

4. Conclusions
Alas-Singkil drainage basins is a significant watershed that reaches 12027.18 km2. The Singkil
watershed consists of 7 sub-watersheds, with the length of the main river reaching 368 km. The order
of the Singkil river basin reaches 8 orders and consists of 7,235 orders 1, 1964 orders 2, 390 orders 3,
92 orders 4, 26 orders 5, 6 orders 6, 4 orders 7. The shape of the Alas-Singkil drainage basins is elongated
with an RC value of 0.16. The level of river branching in the Singkil watershed is 4.76. The maximum
discharge in the Alas-Singkil drainage basins reaches 59,178 m3/second.

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The 5th International Conference on Agriculture, Environment, and Food Security IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 977 (2022) 012090 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/977/1/012090

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