WATER POLITICS

Drought conditions triggered by sustained hot weather and low precipitation in east China’s Jiangxi Province have reduced the country’s largest freshwater lake, Poyang, by 75 percent, authorities said on Thursday.

As of 10 a.m. Thursday, the total area of the lake registered 737 square kilometers, 2,203 square kilometers less than at the same time last year, the provincial water resources department said.

The water level at the lake’s landmark Xingzi hydrological station had receded to 10.12 meters by 10 a.m. Thursday, less than half of the record high of 22.63 meters.

The dry season in the province began on August 6, the earliest date since records started in 1951 and 69 days earlier than the average starting date between 2003 and 2021.

Many parts of Jiangxi have issued red alerts for excessive heat, with 558 meteorological monitoring stations reporting temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius at present.

According to the weather forecast, high temperatures and very low rainfall are expected to continue until September.