The largest freshwater lake in China, the Poyang, entered its so-called "dry season" this week, which marks a record as the earliest date to start that stage since there are records from 1951, local media reported today.
The lake's water level at its reference hydrological station dropped to 11.99 meters this Thursday, a figure considered the start of the "dry season", according to the water resources department of Jiangxi province (southeast), where it is located.
The previous date of earliest entry into the dry season was reported on August 6 last year, when the level of the Poyang fell below 12 meters, the state news agency Xinhua reported.
Meanwhile, the highest water level in the lake was recorded on June 29 with 15.19 meters, almost 4 meters less than the average of previous years.
Meteorological forecasts estimate that in the next ten days there will be little rainfall in that province, so the reserves of Poyang will continue to decline.
This Friday the State Council of China (Executive) asked to redouble efforts to alleviate the drought that plagues a large part of the country.
In a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, Li Qiang, the Government ordered to reinforce the tasks of water distribution in the most affected areas and to ensure the supply in rural and urban areas, especially that destined for the production and harvest of grains.
North China is experiencing an unprecedented heat wave this summer that has left records in some areas, such as the city of Turpan, located in the Xinjiang region (northwest), which registered a record temperature of 52.2 degrees, the highest ever documented in that area.
Lack of rain and high temperatures have led to grain-producing areas facing severe droughts, which could present challenges for crop production.
A total of 918,000 hectares of land have been affected by drought in Inner Mongolia (north), while Hebei (north), which has been hit by a rare heat wave and experienced the lowest rainfall in six decades, is intensifying efforts to save its dry land, according to official media.
