Drought has caused a sharp drop in water level at the Harbin section of the Songhua River in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, its lowest point ever recorded.

The level was 0.34 meters lower than that of last year, which was also a record low.

If there is no major rain, the river's water level will continue to decline, said a local hydrometeorological bureau official.

The water level of the 900-km Songhua River, the third largest inland river in China, has been at its lowest point in history since April.

As its breadth has narrowed from over 1,000 to 300 kilometers, navigation had to be suspended on the river which had opened to traffic in April.

The exceptionally low water level of the river has led to a lack of water supply in Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province. The local government has had to work out emergency measures to meet the needs of urban dwellers.

Zheng Zhihe, a research fellow of the Heilongjiang provincial water control department, attributed the descent of the water level to a loss of soil moisture as a result of less precipitation and windy climate.

The local government has sent several working groups to various arid areas to guide drought relief.

(Xinhua News Agency May 8, 2003)