A drone photo taken on Nov. 26, 2025 shows migrant birds flying over Poyang Lake in Hukou County, east China's Jiangxi Province. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's largest freshwater lake, Poyang Lake, has shrunk by 90 percent from its high-water season level and entered an extremely low-water level, local authorities said Sunday.

At the landmark Xingzi hydrological station in east China's Jiangxi Province, the water level fell below the extremely low-water mark on Sunday morning, with the gauge reading only 8 meters.

This year, Poyang Lake's water level first dipped below the 12-meter drought warning line on Aug. 8, 87 days earlier than the average time of previous years. To date, the lake has been 217 days below the drought warning line, meaning nearly two-thirds of the year in low-water conditions.

To address the situation, a nearby water supply company in Duchang County has mobilized 10 pumps operating at full capacity to draw water from the outer lake to the plant's intake, said Wang Chunhua, head of the company's production and operations department.

The company also stepped up inspections of drinking water sources and increased the frequency of water quality testing to ensure the safety of drinking water for 160,000 urban and rural residents nearby.

The lake has repeatedly set new low-water records in recent years, with a growing trend of dry seasons starting earlier, lasting longer, and reaching lower water levels.

In 2022, its water level dropped to a record low of 4.6 meters. The following year, the lake entered its dry season on July 20, the earliest date on record.

Experts warn that the prolonged low water levels will affect the wintering of hundreds of thousands of migratory birds, including Siberian cranes, oriental storks and white-naped cranes, as well as the reproduction of aquatic species such as the finless porpoise.

Local governments around the lake are closely monitoring the situation, implementing precise water management measures and carrying out emergency responses, such as dredging channels and supplementing ecological water, to minimize the impact.

With its well-preserved ecosystem, Poyang Lake is a key wintering site for waterfowl in Asia. The peak migration period for birds heading to the lake typically runs from mid-December through early January.