Lake Ohrid Just Five Centimetres Above Its Natural Minimum: 14 Centimetres Below the November Average

693.15 metres above sea level. That was the level of Lake Ohrid on 4 November, according to data from the Hydrometeorological Administration. The number on its own does not say much - until you put it next to the other two.

The November average is 693.29 metres, and the lake is 14 centimetres below it. The permitted natural minimum is set at 693.10 metres. Only five centimetres remain until that line.

Five centimetres is less than the width of a palm. That is the whole margin left for one of the oldest lakes in the world, and the data show the level keeps hovering dangerously close to the lower limit of what is allowed.

The administration measures, publishes and records. But who will answer for it if the number drops below the minimum - and does anyone already have a plan for what happens if it does? Or will we once again wait for the lake itself to show us how late we were?