A further drop in the water level upstream in the Yangtze River could affect navigation and the national economy, water officials in Chongqing have warned.
The level is already unusually low, although no serious accidents have occurred, according to officials in a Xinhua report.
Four vessels ran aground in less than a week last month and early this month, but officials were able to float the vessels in time to prevent damage.
Traffic control has been implemented in narrow sections of the river, such as in Fengjie and Wanzhou, and freight vessels have been forced to reduce their loads.
In a Xinhua report, officials from Chongqing Yangtze River Navigation Vessel Company said the drop in the water level had led to a 20 per cent reduction in freight traffic. The officials estimated the company was losing about 5 million yuan (HK$4.7 million) a day.
The director of the Chongqing meteorological department, Yang Zuoming, said the low level was caused by insufficient rainfall and uncommonly high temperatures last autumn.