The water level in the Baikal Lake has decreased by 1 more centimeter due to the shortage of water and has gone beyond the minimum level of 456.0 meters, according to the Head of the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring Aleksandr Frolov.

      Baikal has become low-water since the beginning of the XXI century, before that the average annual inflow to the lake was normal for 110 years – for the entire observation period. Scientists note that the main reason for the decline in the water level of the lake was the reduction in the number of tributaries and the lack of water. In particular, Baikal has not received about 67% of the usual norm in summer and autumn of last year. However, a thorough study of first causes of this phenomenon is yet to come.

      Now the critical levels of Baikal are limited by the requirements of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 234 as of March 26, 2001. The document has set a minimum acceptable level of water at 456.0 meters, the maximum level - at 457.0 meters. The above-mentioned level limits have actually halved the controllability of volume of the Irkutsk Water Reservoir.