Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake in eastern Jiangxi province has entered the dry season about one month earlier than previous years and is keeping a very low water level, said the local hydrological station.

The dry season of Poyang Lake should be around January, but the present water level at Hukou station had dropped to 9.02 meters on Tuesday.

Its monthly average water level will probably be only about 9.5meters, which is the lowest level in past two decades. Other stations like Xingzi also reported a low water level, said experts from the Jiujiang Hydrological Station.

Poyang Lake, with an area of 4,070 square kilometers, is connected to five major rivers in the province in addition to the Yangtze River, the country's longest river.

Due to the Three Gorges water conservancy project and the severe dry spells that hit the Poyang drainage area this summer, the quantity of water in Poyang Lake has dropped significantly. Shipping and fishing in the lake have already been affected.

(People's Daily November 25, 2003)