South Laclo River
The river in Suco Dotik [de]
Location of river mouth
Native name	Ribeira de Lacló do Sul /  Rio Lacló do Sul (Portuguese) Mota Lakló (Tetum)
Location
Country	East Timor
Municipality	Manufahi
Physical characteristics
Source confluence	Ahangcain River
Mouth	Timor Sea
• location	Uma Berloic [de] / Dotik [de]
• coordinates	9°07′44″S 125°56′55″E / 9.1289°S 125.9486°E / -9.1289; 125.9486
Basin size	~ 216 km2 (83 sq mi)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Limetain River, Clerec River (branch)
• right	Marak River

The South Laclo River (Portuguese: Ribeira de Lacló do Sul or Rio Lacló do Sul, Tetum: Mota Lakló) is a river in the Manufahi municipality of East Timor. It flows southwards, and then southeastwards, into the Timor Sea.

English language sources conventionally refer to the river as the South Laclo River,^[1][2][3] as there is also another Laclo River, usually referred to in English as the North Laclo River, which discharges into Wetar Strait on the north coast of East Timor.^[1][2][4]

The North Laclo River takes its name from the town of Laclo [de], which is located on its left bank, about 13 km (8.1 mi) from its mouth.^[5]

The two rivers are not connected to each other; both rise in the uplands near Turiscai in Manufahi municipality, where a drainage divide causes them to flow southwards and northwards, respectively, in each case later augmented by several tributaries.^[3][4][6]

The headwaters of the river are in the suco of Matorec [de], southeast of Turiscai, Manufahi. The river and its tributaries flow through Manufahi in a southerly and then southeasterly direction, until the river discharges into the Timor Sea at the southern tip of the border between Sucos Uma Berloic [de] and Dotik [de].^[7]

In order of entrance, the river's main tributaries are as follows:

• Limetain River: rises in Suco Matorec northeast of Oroluli; flows generally south southeastwards to just east of Lagoa Laheborak, where it merges with a stream discharging from that lake to form the Ahangcain River (see below).^[7]

• Ahangcain River: flows from the confluence of the Limetain River and the stream discharging from Lagoa Laheborak southeastwards to the border between Turiscai and Fatuberlio administrative posts, near which it becomes the South Laclo River.^[7][8]

• Marak River: rises at the border between Fatuberlio and Alas administrative posts; flows southeastwards, initially forming the border between Sucos Aituha [de] and Taitudac [de] to enter the South Laclo River near the border between Aituha and Dotik.^[7][9]

• Clere or Clerec River: a branch of this river enters the South Laclo River a short distance north of the latter's mouth; the rest of it flows into swampy marshland that includes several lagoons.^[7][10]

The river's catchment or drainage basin is located within Manufahi municipality,^[7] and is approximately 216 km² (83 sq mi) in area.^{[11]: 2, 52} Its main population centre is the town of Alas in central Manufahi.^[7]

East Timor has been broadly divided into twelve 'hydrologic units', groupings of climatologically and physiographically similar and adjacent river catchments.^{[11]: 2, 52 [12]} The South Laclo River catchment is one of the four major catchments in the Clere & Be-Lulic hydrologic unit, which is about 1,923.6 km² (742.7 sq mi) in total area; the others are the catchments of the Clere, Be-Lulic and Caraulun Rivers.^{[11]: 9, 52}

The catchment is the main source of water for the sucos of Taitudac and Mahaquidan [de] in its middle reaches, and Uma Berloic in its lowlands.^[13]

In and prior to the 1940s, there was gold exploration on the banks of the river.^[14]: 16 An academic paper published in 2014 asserted that there were prospects of finding gold placer in the sandy gravel strata in the South Laclo and two other rivers in the Turiscai administrative post, and, more importantly, of finding primary gold deposits in those rivers' upper reaches.^[15]

• List of rivers of East Timor

Media related to South Laclo River at Wikimedia Commons