MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. The water level in Lake Baikal, the world’s largest freshwater body, has dropped by six centimeters below the critical mark and the outlook is negative, Head of Russia’s Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring Roman Vilfand said on Tuesday.

"Based on today’s data, Baikal’s water level is 6 cm below the minimal threshold mark set at 456 meters under the Pacific scale [456 meters are the minimum threshold level]," Vilfand alerted.

The Baikal water level crisis "has been mentioned in the past four years but now this level is below what was registered in 2015-2017," Russia’s top meteorologist pointed out.

"We anticipate the lowest level by May 1," Vilfand noted.