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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
NANCHANG, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) — The surface area of China's largest freshwater lake, Poyang Lake, has shrunk by 90 percent compared to the peak season, with the water level in the body of water falling below the safety limit, local authorities said Sunday.
As of 6:00 a.m. Sunday, the water level at the iconic Xinzi Lake hydrological station in East China's Jiangxi Province had dropped to just 8 meters.
This year, the water level in Poyang Lake dropped below the 12-meter low-water warning line for the first time on August 8, 87 days earlier than the average for previous years. As of today, the lake has been below the low-water warning line for 217 days, meaning the lake has been experiencing low water levels for almost two-thirds of the year.
To address the problem, a nearby waterworks in Duchang County has deployed 10 pumps at full capacity to pump water from the outer part of the lake to the intake area, said Wang Chunhua, head of the production and operation department of Duchang Runquan Water Supply Company.
The company also stepped up inspections of drinking water sources and increased the frequency of water quality testing to ensure safe drinking water for the 160,000 urban and rural residents living nearby.
In recent years, the lake has repeatedly set new low water level records, with a trend towards an earlier start to the dry season, its lengthening, and lower water levels.
In 2022, the water level in Lake Poyang dropped to a record low of 4.6 meters. In 2023, the lake entered its dry season on July 20, the earliest on record.
Experts warn that prolonged low water levels will impact the wintering grounds of hundreds of thousands of migratory birds, as well as the breeding season of aquatic animals.
Relevant authorities in areas around the lake are closely monitoring the situation, implementing precise water management measures and responding to emergency situations to minimize the negative impacts of low water levels.
Lake Poyang has a unique ecosystem and is an important wintering site for waterfowl in Asia. The peak migration period for migratory birds heading to the lake begins in mid-December and continues until early January of the following year. -0-
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