HOHHOT, March 12 (Xinhua) -- North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is trying to halt the shrinkage of Daihai Lake, the third largest inland lake in the region, local authorities said.

Daihai Lake, located in Liangcheng County, measured 182 square kilometers in 1960s. Due to decreasing precipitation and overexploitation of water resources, the lake surface is only 55 square kilometers. Its average depth is three meters, said Jia Xiaoping, vice head of Liangcheng County government.

Before 2016, the lake surface shrank by 3.9 square kilometers every year on average, the rate has since been slowed down to two square kilometers last year. Water quality has also improved, he said.

The county launched water saving campaigns in agricultural and industrial businesses. Starting from 2016, water was diverted from the Yellow River to Daihai Lake. A 100-sq-kilometer wetland is under construction.

According to a government plan, Daihai Lake is expected to stop shrinking by 2020, and its surface should not drop under 50 square kilometers. Pollutants into the lake water will be cut by half, the plan said.

Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is located in northern China, with an area of 1.18 million square kilometers. It borders Mongolia and Russia.