The Baiyangdian Lake covers 366 square kilometres but has shrunk by 35 per cent since the 1960s due to persistent droughts, water pollution, silting and overfarming.

The lake is a major nature wetland reserve in North China and the natural habitat of 47 varieties of water plants, 54 kinds of fish, 192 kinds of birds and 14 wild mammal species.

But the number of the species of wild fauna and flora dropped drastically as the lake's ecosystem rapidly deteriorated during past years.

Before it started drying up, the lake area was an abundant source of fish, bulrush, lotus root and grain.

The area around it was called the "land flowing with milk and honey in North China."

However, the lake has dried up 10 times since the 1960s due to persistent drought. Between 1985 and 1988 it dried up a record five years in a row, an expert told China Daily.

Water levels in the lake are now dropping below the 5.1 metre mark, Wang Jiangang, chief engineer of the flood-control and drought relief office under the Haihe Water Conservancy Commission (HWCC), said after a two-day inspection of the lake area.

Pointing to many fishing boats and yachts docked on the dried lakebed, Wang said "the day when the lake was a key resort for North China was over for years following its dry-up."

"We used to earn 80 to 90 per cent of our money through fishing and tourism on the lake.

But we are not so lucky today. The water disappeared," said Zhang Zenshan, a farmer living on Zaolinzhuang Village, which neighbouring the lake.

"The lake will completely dry up next year and worsen the ecosystem around the lake area without an additional water supply," Wang warned.

To avert a repetition of the tragedy, Hebei Province has launched 10 water diversion operations since 1992.

Unfortunately this year, there was almost no water stored in the upstream reservoirs following an extremely dry year for the tributaries north of the Haihe River, one of China's seven major rivers.