Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has vowed to audit a prospective water bottling plant on the shores of the world's deepest freshwater lake.

Medvedev told Russian news agencies on Tuesday he would order officials to check if the plant on the shores of Baikal in eastern Siberia complies with environmental standards.

Reports of the construction of the bottling plant on Baikal have angered local residents, with more than 880,000 people signing an online petition, urging authorities to scrap the construction plans. One of the reasons for the resentment is the fact that the water is going to be exported to neighboring China.

A major paper mill on Baikal, the largest freshwater lake by volume, was shut down in 2013 following intense pressure from environmental activists.