Drought shrinks China's largest freshwater lake
Droughts caused by persistent hot weather and poor rainfall in Jiangxi Province have shrunk China's largest freshwater lake by 75%, according to local authorities.
As of 10:00 a.m. Thursday, the total area of Lake "Bohyang" was 737 square kilometers, down 2,203 square kilometers from the same period last year, the Provincial Directorate of Water Resources said.
The water level at the Xingzi Hydrological Station known as the lake had fallen to 10.12 meters as of 10:00 a.m. Thursday, half lower than the record high of 22.63 meters, China's Xinhua News Agency reported.
The lake officially entered the dry season for this year on August 6, which was the earliest date since it began documenting its records in 1951 and 69 days earlier than the average start dates during the period between 2003 and 2021.
Several parts of Jiangxi Province have issued red alerts to warn of the severe heat, with 558 weather stations across the province currently recording temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius.
According to weather forecasts, high temperatures and little rain are likely to continue in the province until next September.
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