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← Reservoir Transparency Index H1 2026

Not rated — no significant reservoirs

Timor-Leste is set aside from the ranking rather than graded. Having no significant reservoir storage is a geographic fact, not a transparency failure — so assigning an “F” would be misleading.

H1 2026 Evaluation

Timor-Leste Reservoir Transparency

N/A

Why it's not rated

No significant storage reservoirs (Belulik Leten is a small irrigation dam).

Where its water comes from

River intakes and groundwater (EDTL and local systems).

Reference source

EDTL — Electricidade de Timor-Leste (national electricity utility)

https://www.edtl.tl

Evaluator notes

Timor-Leste is one of Asia's youngest nations (independent 2002) and one of its least developed in terms of water data infrastructure. The country has no significant hydropower storage reservoirs — its electricity relies on EDTL-managed diesel generation with small-scale run-of-river hydro contributions. The primary managed water structures are small irrigation dams and weirs serving agriculture. ESA satellite studies tracking surface water dynamics across Timorese water bodies confirm significant long-term water body shrinkage: a net loss of approximately 47.6% of surface water extent between 1985 and 2025 across monitored sites. This is critical evidence that Timor-Leste faces growing water scarcity without the monitoring infrastructure to track it. The 2025 ACIAR project on integrated catchment water management represents a first step toward systematic monitoring but is years away from producing nationally published data streams.

Evaluated by Jaime Delgado · 2026-09-15 · Methodology v1.3.0

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