Drone photo shows the historic site of Luoxingdun Island fully visible due to the lower water level in Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake, in Nanchang, East China's Jiangxi Province. Photo: China News Service

East China's Jiangxi Province issued a blue alert for water supply after Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake, fell to its lowest level in nearly a shrunk to its smallest in size in nearly a decade, with the water level falling below eight meters again since September 2022. 

The FY-3D meteorological satellite monitoring of the National Satellite Meteorological Center showed that on February 27, the water area of Poyang Lake was 1,044 square kilometers, down more than 21.8 percent from the average level for the same period and the lowest recorded level in nearly a decade, according to data released by the Jiangxi Provincial Hydrology Monitoring Center.

In early February, there was frequent rain and snow across the country, and the entire region of Jiangxi experienced continuous rainfall. As a result, the water level of the lake broke through the 8-meter extremely dry water level on February 11, and the hydrological drought in Jiangxi was lifted on the whole.

"Although the precipitation in February increased significantly compared with that in January, the precipitation is still limited compared with the flood season," said Shi Yan, a weather analyst at China Weather Net, adding that precipitation is not a decisive factor affecting the water level of Poyang Lake, as it's also affected by upstream factors.

In the coming week, the water level of Poyang Lake is expected to continue to fall, according to the hydrological center. The meteorological department predicted that temperatures in most areas of Jiangxi will remain high, and precipitation will be under that of the same period of the year.

Global Times